The St. Cloud (FL) Fire Rescue Department made the following Facebook post Saturday:
The St. Cloud Fire Rescue Department held a ceremony to put new Engine 33 into service Saturday. The department honored the 19th-century traditions of the fire service with a “Wet Down, Push Back” ceremony. The first part of the ceremony involved washing the new engine using water from the old engine it is replacing. Firefighters were then joined by elected officials and other dignitaries to dry it off and push back the new apparatus into the firehouse. This is a tradition dating to before the automobile, when horses used in the fire service could not back into the station with their water pumper wagon attached.
New Engine 33 represents a more than $700,000 investment in public safety. The new Pierce Impel will provide the city of St. Cloud’s first responders with equipment that has increased reliability, added features and lower maintenance costs. The new unit, which replaces an aging 2016 model, features a 750-gallon capacity water tank, and a 1,500 gpm single stage water pump.
