SANFORD — A new-to-Sanford heavy rescue vehicle arrived in the city Wednesday morning and will be placed into service within the next couple of weeks.

Rescue 7 will replace a 33-year-old squad truck, and was purchased for $225,000, about $25,000 below what the Sanford City Council had authorized for the expenditure in September.

Sanford Fire Chief Steve Benotti described the heavy rescue vehicle as a “giant toolbox,” carrying all the equipment necessary to rescue people in difficult circumstances — like someone entrapped in a vehicle, in the water or in a confined space — what fire departments call technical rescues.

He said the used, 2004 vehicle had been originally purchased by a New Jersey department. The Sanford department acquired it through Brindlee Mountain Fire Apparatus in Union Grove, Alabama, and Benotti drove it home Tuesday, ahead of the storm, arriving in Sanford early Wednesday morning.

The truck also came with about $50,000 worth of tools, complementing the tools the department already has, he said, such as two cutters, valued at $9,800 each, and a $10,000 spreader, among the half-dozen or so tools that came with the truck.

Rescue 7 is large enough to hold eight people, and has systems that allow access to equipment from either side of the truck. It also sports two light towers, bright enough to light up a football field if necessary, Benotti said.

The department has been trying to replace the old squad truck for the last couple of years. Benotti said the department hopes to get a dozen years of service from Rescue 7 and he noted the purchase of used equipment takes a considerable amount of research.

The City Council approved the expenditure in September from the Fire Department’s capital reserve account. Councilor Fred Smith moved to approve, seconded by Councilor John Tuttle. The vote was unanimous.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.