NEW YORK -- Designing this rig was a labor of love for Capt. Terence Hatton of the Elite Rescue One. He spent hundreds of hours of his last year configuring the truck to carry as many life-saving tools as possible -- to any emergency.

"[The rig can handle] a structural fire, a building collapse, a scuba rescue ... a high-angle rope rescue or a confined-space rope rescue," said Fred LaFemina New York City Fire Department chief of Battalion 8. "He always said 'do it right and do it professionally. And after the jobs, he would give the men the standard quote of outstanding'."

Hatton's widow, Beth Petrone, says her husband would be proud of the work they did on his idea.

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Fire Truck Was Labor Of Love

"He would say 'outstanding'," Petrone said.

Hatton's word of praise adorns the new truck, which arrived seven months after Hatton and 10 other members of Rescue One died on 9/11.

Lt. Jack Flatley said the cab of Rescue One was designed to maximize interior and exterior cabin space.

"We can decide what kind of situation we're going into, what we're going to bring, who's going to bring what," Flatley said. " The old compartments used to open up on top and we used to have to take everything off the top to get the equipment out underneath. It really was an ineffective design."

In addition to all the whistles and bells, a new screen in the back will enable rescue firefighters to view information about a rescue site before they get there.

"It'll display the information of where we're going, what we're going to, [and] the other units that have responded," Flatley said.

Petrone happens to be the longtime personal assistant of Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who was on hand to praise the unit's fallen members.

"If they hadn't acted in this brave way that takes your breath away when you think about it, America would not have revived its spirit the way it did," Giuliani said.

Hatton's father, retired Deputy Chief Kenneth Hatton, made no secret of his disappointment that Mayor Mike Bloomberg was absent from the dedication.

"I hope in the future he will be able to attend these dedications in the future," Hatton said.

Hatton said he was at the wake, but on Thursday, Bloomberg had a press conference at City Hall, and a school visit.

The truck would not be Hatton's final gift or his only legacy. Days after Sept. 11, Petrone learned she was pregnant with a first child. She's expecting a baby girl next month.

"She's got a lot of uncles here... she'll be here a lot," Petrone said of the fire station.

"The birth of the baby is very special and whether it's a boy or a girl, it's going to be Terry. We're excited about that," Hatton, the proud grandfather-to-be said.