SUNRISE — The Fayette Township Volunteer Fire Department has a new addition. The Sunrise station got a new Alexis pumper truck last week.

Fire Chief Ryan Vaughn said this new truck replaces a vehicle that was wrecked last year and while this may seem like a lateral purchase, it really isn’t. The old truck was designed primarily to fight brush fires. The new truck can do that and, with its larger pump capacity, fight other fires as well. Its shorter wheel base and turn radius will make it a better fit for some of Fayette Township’s narrower and curvier roads.

“Last year we got a call from a gentleman who said he couldn’t get fire insurance for his home because you couldn’t get a fire truck up to his house,” Vaughn said.

“He had built his own driveway and it was very narrow and it had a turn in the middle of it. We tried but it was dangerous and tight. In bad weather we couldn’t have done it. This truck is designed to do these kinds of jobs and better protect that area.”

The new truck has a 750-gallon-per-minute pump capacity. Its price tag was $175,000, paid for partly with insurance money obtained as a result of last year’s wrecked vehicle and partly with taxpayer funds.

“We want people to know we’re doing everything we can to protect everybody equally,” Vaughn said. “We’ve combined the Sunrise and Burlington stations and we’re trying to be a more well-rounded department.”