More than 40 people were on hand for the City of Plainview Fire Department's Apparatus Push-In Ceremony for their new Fire Engine and Brush Truck last Friday, May 10th at 1:00 p.m.
Videos of the ceremony are available on the City's YouTube Channel (https://youtu.be/3OoVHKoza54 or https://youtu.be/5wrAyDHtsRw); photos are available at Photo Gallery • Plainview, TX • CivicEngage (plainviewtx.org).
The ceremony continues a decades-old tradition in fire service history of pushing a new engine backward into the fire station bay for its first time in service. The tradition began in the late 1800s when fire departments used hand-drawn pumpers and horse-drawn equipment. Upon returning to the fire station after a fire call, the horses could not easily back the equipment into the station, so they were disconnected from the fire equipment and firefighters would push the apparatus back into the bays themselves. Before pushing the apparatus back into the bay, the firefighters would also wash down the apparatus and the horses before readying both for the next fire call.
For more information, call 806-296-1100.