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Thursday, September 15, 2016

Santee Fire Dept. Makes a Push for Tradition

Thursday, September 15, 2016


Most folks aren't aware that early hand-drawn fire apparatus - engines, ladder wagons and hose carts -  had to be pushed back into the station by hand.

The horse-drawn steam engines that followed could be backed up by the engineers, but it was difficult to align the steam connections on the engine with those in the station, so the horses were disconnected and the steamers were also often pushed back into the station by hand.

 

All of this backing in by hand became moot when motorized engines went into service. However, the fire service is deep into tradition and some fire engine crews make every effort to  pay homage to past and old-time members that had to push their engines into the station by hand. While doing this honors former and retired firefighters, it is also intended to display unity among the current generation. 

Last night, Santee firefighters honored this tradition by pushing our new red engine into the station for the first time. The new will be stationed at Fire Station 4 on Cottonwood Ave. All on-duty personnel, including our chief officers, were on hand to help push E4 into the station for the first time.

  A note from Fire Chief Richard Smith:
The new 2016 Pierce fire engine’s timely arrival is during the National Emergency Preparedness Month. Coupled with community education on wildfire and local disaster preparedness, the new engine is just one example of the City of Santee’s effort to maximize our service delivery to our community by utilizing the latest technology within our equipment.