PRESS RELEASE
BRANSON, Missouri – The Branson Fire-Rescue Department hosted an official Wet-Down/Push-In ceremony Monday, Nov. 6 for its new fire apparatus at Fire Station 1, located at 110 Crosby Street, to place it into service.
Branson Fire-Rescue continued the decades-old tradition of inviting the community to push the new engine backward into the fire station bay. This tradition began in the late 1800’s when fire departments used hand-drawn pumpers and horse-drawn equipment that needed to be hand-pushed back into the bays themselves. Before pushing the apparatus back in the bay, the firefighters would also wash down and ready the pumpers and the horses before readying both for the next fire call.
The new pumper, built by Pierce Fire Apparatus in Appleton, Wisconsin, has a 450-hp diesel engine, a 1,500-gallon-per-minute pump, a 500-gallon water tank, a 30-gallon foam tank, and will be loaded with fire equipment and specialized rescue equipment, including the Jaws of Life.
