Join Hinton Fire Rescue Services to Welcome New Fire Engine

 
The Town of Hinton Fire Rescue Service invites the public to join them for a Push-In Ceremony of their new fire engine on June 11, 2022, at 10 a.m. at the Fire Station, 184 Eaton Road.

The Push-In Ceremony is an old fire service tradition dating back to the 1800s, when fire engines were pulled by horses. The horse-drawn apparatus was not easily backed into the station with just the horses alone, so after a call, and to prepare for the next call, the firefighters would have to disconnect the fire equipment from the horses and push the apparatus back into the bay. The horses would also be cooled off with water and groomed after they had worked hard on a call, prior to being returned to their stalls.

Continuing this tradition, when a new fire engine is purchased, an event is held to ceremonially wash and then push the new truck into the bay.

“I’m not sure if this tradition has ever been followed in Hinton but it is a great event for Council and the community to get involved with. I am happy to begin this tradition here with Hinton Fire Rescue Services,” said Fire Chief Mac de Beaudrap. “This new engine provided by our forward-thinking Council replaces a 20-year-old engine will serve Hinton for the next 20 years. There is good reason to celebrate.”

The new fire engine is a 2021 Rosenbauer Commander chassis and carries approximately 750 metres of hose of varying size, has 5,000 litre per minute water pump capacity, and carries 4,000 litres of water and 120 litres of firefighting foam.

The engine features three different size ladders, the newest battery-operated rescue tools, and seating for six firefighters. It also has the standard emergency light and siren package to alert citizens of their presence to enhance safety while the fire engine proceeds to emergency situations.

“I would like to thank both past and present Councils and Administration and all those individuals who took the time to select and design this new engine,” said de Beaudrap. “They took the departments needs, paired with their years of knowledge and experience, to set specifications for the new engine that would best serve the citizens of Hinton and the firefighters using this magnificent piece of equipment.”

Mayor Marcel Michaels said, “On behalf of Council, we are thrilled to have provided Hinton Fire Rescue Service with this impressive new fire engine. Proudly, we support our brave and dedicated firefighters as they protect our community, and we are excited to have added to the Hinton fleet.”