Jay Miller is set to turn 67 years old in November but on Thursday night, the Jim Thorpe borough councilman described himself as “feeling like a kid on Christmas morning.”

Miller’s excitement came as he helped unveil the arrival of the borough’s newest piece of fire apparatus, a $684,000 KME pumper-tanker headed to the Diligent Fire Station on the west side of town.

The vehicle will replace a 2006 pumper-tanker, which will be sold with the proceeds going toward the cost of the new truck.

“It’s a very proud day in Jim Thorpe,” Miller, a longtime member of the local fire department, said. “The individual fire companies used to raise money to buy their own truck and then turn the title over to the town. This is the first time in my history that the borough has purchased not one, but two pieces, with tax money outright.”

Jim Thorpe is also expecting to take delivery in September of a rescue pumper for the Onoko Fire Station on the east side of the borough.

The borough began the process of purchasing the new equipment almost three years ago, but several production delays repeatedly pushed the delivery date back.

“We thought this day might never happen, but we’re very excited to have one of the trucks here and able to show it off to the community,” council President Greg Strubinger said. “Councilman Miller was very instrumental in bringing forward the proposals to purchase these pumpers.”

The tanker features a 2,000-gallon per minute pump, double the amount of the 2006 vehicle. It also comes with a 3,100-gallon tank and a deck gun that can be controlled by joystick.

“In theory, we could get rid of the 3,100 gallons pretty quickly but we have a three or a four-inch pipe that goes from the tank to the pump, so maybe 5 or 6 minutes,” Miller said. “This thing drives like your car or truck. It’s incredible how nice it drives even without the water filled yet.”

Also doubled is the amount of firefighters the pumper can take to a blaze. While the old vehicle could hold just two people, up to four crew members can now be transported.

“One of my colleagues asked me why are we doing this, and my answer to him was so we can respond to a fire smarter,” Miller said. “That means having the ability to have our gentleman or ladies ready to walk right out and go into a burning building with the hose.

Asked the life expectancy of the new truck, Miller said the National Fire Protection Association recommends 20 years for a piece of “first-line apparatus” before placing it in reserve status.

The pumper, he added, should be in service within a week.