New Fire Engine
How many firefighters does it take to push a Fire Engine?
Apparently… ten!
A few of the RDES crew rolled up their sleeves to do the inaugural “push in” of the new fire engine this week. Similar to christening the maiden voyage of a ship by smashing a bottle of champagne over its hull, it is tradition to push a new fire engine into service by pushing it into its fire station bay.
“The tradition dates back to the horse-drawn fire apparatus days when carriages didn’t have reverse,” says Curtis Schaefer, Assistant Deputy Chief with Red Deer Emergency Services.
Over the next several years Emergency Services will replace aging machinery that has reached the end of their lifespan, including an ambulance, aerial ladder truck, and a tanker truck. Each new vehicle will also be getting an updated look with Emergency Services and City of Red Deer branding.
“It’s exciting to have new emergency response vehicles that offer new features and technology,” says Schaefer. “Replacing older vehicles assures that we have reliable equipment that is ready for immediate, rapid service, which is of utmost importance in our line of work.”
This is the second new fire engine The City has rolled into service; another one arrived in May 2021. In total, a total of seven new units will be added to the fleet by 2030.