Members of Brooke Fire Rescue officially welcomed their newest fire truck into the fleet at the Alvinston station. Fire Chief Steve Knight said the truck arrived on Oct. 23 and the members of the department received training.
The new truck has been used even before members of the fire department officially pushed it into the station on Saturday morning. Brooke-Alvinston Mayor David Ferguson said in the last three days, the fire department has responded to two calls including a medical assist and a fire at a grain bin.
Knight said this is first time the fire department had conducted a traditional push in ceremony, even though the department has welcomed other vehicles into the department in the past. The need to push a fire engine into the station dates back to the 1800s when they were pulled by horses. Horses would be unhitched and the fire engine would need to be pushed into the station. Even though, horse drawn fire engines are no longer used, when a fire department obtains a new fire truck, it is pushed into the station, just like the old days.
The process for a new fire engine began in 2021, when a committee was formed.