Fire and City officials, community leaders, and a crowd of Kissimmee fire rescue team members were present and assisted in the “pushing back” of the tower and engines into the station after they were washed down and dried off as part of the reverent ceremony.
The wash down part of the ceremony stemmed from the tradition of a department’s new fire apparatus being sprayed with water from neighboring department’s units and the equipment it is replacing. The push back dates to hand-drawn, and then later horse-drawn, fire apparatus had to be pushed back into the station by hand. The ceremony, which was led by Kissimmee Fire Chief Jim Wahls, was to honor the past as they celebrated the future of the Kissimmee Fire Department. Also speaking at the ceremony was Kissimmee Vice Mayor Felix Ortiz.
Congratulation to the Kissimmee Fire Department and to the residents of Kissimmee.
