The St. James Volunteer Fire Department has taken delivery of the first brand-new fire engine in the department's history.

Fire Chief Wesley Holt said in an interview Tuesday that the 2009 E-One pumper truck will replace a 1974 Mack fire engine in the department's four-vehicle fleet.

"This is the first brand-new truck we've ever had," Holt said. "This is something of which the community can be proud."

The purchase was made possible by a $165,300 federal Assistance to Firefighters grant that the department won last year, and was supplemented with $8,700 in matching funds raised by the St. James VFD.

Chief Holt thanked the community's contributors for the financial support that enabled the department to raise the $8,700 in matching funds.

The new fire engine, which is based on an International truck chassis, features a 330-h.p. diesel engine and automatic transmission for ease of operation, Holt said.

At 26-feet in length, the new truck also is particularly well suited to the St. James VFD's rural, nine-square-mile operating area and its many narrow country roads, according to Holt.

A longer truck would be more difficult to maneuver over county roads to reach fires, he said.

The new truck carries 1,000 gallons of water in an onboard rust-proof tank and can pump water onto fires at a rate of 1,250-gallons-per-minute.

Holt also said the new truck came with new firefighting ladders and is equipped with a 5,000-watt electric generator that is used to power emergency "scene lights" at fire scenes.

The department is waiting on the arrival of hose-bed divider before transferring fire hose from the department's 1974 fire engine to the new truck.

Once the hose is transferred, Holt said, the new truck will be in service as the department's front-line pumper.

Holt said the St. James VFD's truck committee worked for several months reviewing proposals from nine different vendors before settling on E-ONE, an Ocala, Fla., firm that has been manufacturing fire trucks for the last three decades.

Established in 1974, E-ONE has grown to become an industry leader in just a few decades. It employs more than 900 workers in five plants totaling more than 420,000 square-feet, according to the company's Web site.

Chief Holt said the new truck was purchased through E-ONE dealer Heritage Fire Equipment, Inc., of Lawrenceburg, Tenn.

St. James firefighters drove the new truck home from the Lawrenceburg facility, Holt said.

The St. James VFD also won another 2008 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security totaling $35,540 for use in purchasing new protective clothing for the department's firefighters.

On Tuesday, Chief Holt said the protective gear, which includes 14 full sets of fire-resistant coats, pants, boots, helmets and gloves, is currently on order.

Chief Holt also said he is awaiting word on a 2009 federal grant application that, if won, would enable St. James VFD to purchase new fire hose.