But East Lincoln firefighters say that's all better now after a new 2009 Freightliner business class M2 fire truck from Ferrara Fire Company was delivered to the Lincoln County courthouse Tuesday.

"It looks like we totaled our truck at the right time," joked Chief Ronnie Killingsworth. "This one is brand new. It has 380 miles on it, and it's top of the line with all the newest safety and emission control features."

The truck is also the first of its kind built by Ferrara this year, officials said.

Killingsworth said department officials are particularly pleased because the order came through much quicker than anticipated. It was set to arrive April 10, but came a little more than two weeks early.

And should an accident occur in the new truck, it is equipped with a "black box"-like apparatus that records the speed it was traveling, the speed at which it stopped and even possibly the tilt at which it took curves. With a simple download to a laptop, department officials can see exactly what each driver was up to on each run.

The new truck will also be a plus since it will fit down some roads that their larger truck cannot navigate. He said the turn radius is much shorter as well.

On another note, though, Killingsworth said the department did request chrome wheel covers.

"It's a pride thing, but you can also get them to clean the truck a lot easier when it looks good when they're done," he said with a laugh.