Los Ranchos ceremony honors new fire engine
$559K truck gets traditional welcome
A time-honored tradition took place in the Village of Los Ranchos on Wednesday and with it came a new fire engine for the community.
The Bernalillo County Fire Department and Los Ranchos unveiled the new equipment at county fire Station 30 with what’s known as a “push-in ceremony.”
“Doing this honors the history of the fire service, its old and former members, but it is also intended to display unity among the current members, while bringing public safety to the forefront for our community,” Bernalillo County Fire Chief Christopher Celaya said in an event news release.
The county explained that “part of the traditional housing ceremony for a new fire engine includes having the firefighters push the new engine into the firehouse. The practice originated during the time when horsedrawn fire equipment was used and could not be easily backed into the building by the horses. Each time the equipment was used, the horses were washed down and the firefighting apparatus was pushed back into the station.”
And so it was on Wednesday afternoon that a new 2016 Pierce Velocity engine was pushed into place, replacing the old engine.
The new fire truck cost $559,469. The funding and sources were: $330,000 from Los Ranchos; $227,469 from the Bernalillo County general fund; and $2,000 from county fire funds, the county said.
Los Ranchos and Bernalillo County in 2009 signed an agreement whereby the county fire department provides staffing and service and the village provides equipment and the facility, according to the news release. As part of that arrangement, Station 30 at 6697 Fourth NW, just north of Osuna, was built to replace the old village fire station by the village administrative offices on Rio Grande Boulevard.
The whole village is served by the county fire department, though it’s also covered by the Albuquerque Fire Department under a closest-unit response agreement.
“The purchase of this new fire engine is yet one more demonstration of the fine stewardship by the county and the village of our taxpayer resources,” Los Ranchos Mayor Larry Abraham said in a statement.
He said the village is proud of its partnership with the fire department and “feels it reflects the best delivery of essential services.”
“When government entities work together in a regional effort,” Abraham said, “the residents ultimately benefit.”