DANVILLE — Safety precautions and growth have forced the East End Fire Company in Mahoning Township to begin the process of buying a truck.

Fire Chief Kevin Young said the company’s 1995 engine is costing more and more each year for upkeep.

“We’ve outgrown it,” he said. “It doesn’t hold as much stuff as we have. We need a compartment upgrade.”

Through the COSTARS program, the department has found a newer, safer vehicle from the same manufacturer that it plans to buy.

The advantages, he said, are it is safer with full airbag protection for the crew, independent front suspension — meaning if the tires leave the road, it will not pull the truck off — and extra compartments for gear. It holds the same amount of water.

The truck, priced at $516,618, will be paid for through three funds: the township fire fund of $416,000; the relief association, $50,000; and the fire company, $50,000. If the department makes the purchase by Oct. 1, it will receive a discount of at least $15,000.

“Next we get the sales representative in, finalize minor items and sign the paperwork before Oct. 1. Then we’re looking at a delivery of May or June next year,” he said. “We’re hoping to get it over with soon, because we’ve been working on it diligently since the first of the year.”

Young said normally the process would take two to three years, but the department crammed it into eight months.

The company originally wanted to buy a truck in 2011, but moved the plan up because new emissions standards for diesel will increase the cost significantly.

“They aren’t even sure how much yet,” he said, “but we were told it could be anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000 a truck.”

Mahoning Township supervisors Christine DeLong, Ronald Miller and William Earlston approved the purchase.