St. Cloud Fire Rescue (SCFR) hosted a Push-Back and Dedication Ceremony for its new Engine 33 and Rescue 33 unit July 21 at its Administration Building/Fire Station #31.
“We remember our rich history with a wet-down and push-back ceremony and honor our past as we celebrate our future,” said SCFR Interim Chief Jason Miller. “Engine 33 and Rescue 33 are now in full service to serve our community for many years to come. We have many people to thank, including our council, management, public services, purchasing, growth management services and our personnel. This great achievement is a symbol of our dedication to the citizens of St. Cloud.”
A push-back ceremony is a tradition within the fire service that goes back to when horse-drawn carts were unhooked from the horses and pushed back into the station by hand. Another tradition, the wet-down ceremony, calls for the blessing and wetting down of a new truck before it is put into service. Wet downs go back to the old days of firefighting. When an old pumper truck was being retired, firefighters would spray the water from the old truck onto the new one.
SCFR’s ceremony also included drying off of the new unit and the radio announcement from SCFR to the City’s dispatch that officially entered Engine 33 and Rescue 33 into service.
The new Engine 33 is a 2017 Pierce® PUC™ Impel Pumper and the new Rescue 33 is a 2017 Excellance Ford F450 Advanced Life Support Transport Unit. Both are now stationed at Fire Station #33 and are serving the south side of St. Cloud. The retired engine and rescue unit will be kept as a reserve unit.
