‘Push in’ ceremony takes place in Lakeport
LAKEPORT >> The Lakeport Fire Protection District recently received their new 2021 Pierce Enforcer 1500 Type 1 Pumper thanks to the passing of Measure M and held a long-standing tradition of the official “push in” ceremony.
According to Fire Chief Jeffrey J Thomas, on December 18, the department held a gathering with a few key community partners to share a few brief words in order to mark the fire department’s historic acquisition, which Thomas called “a true collaboration” bringing the community together to celebrate. The “Push in” ceremony is symbolic of a period when the fire brigade would push the horse drawn pumper into its stall close to where the horses would be kept. This ceremony has been a year in the making but participants and organizers said it was worth the wait.
In this weekend’s ceremony, all the department firefighters participated, along with the Fire Board, to recreate this “pushing in” of their newest member of the fire apparatus family into its bay. The fire pumper was slowly backed into its location while the firefighters pushed in unison. Once the vehicle was in place and after a couple of handshakes, the ceremony concluded.
Immediately following the ceremony, a small gathering of family and friends came together to swear in some of the firefighters. “We have made a commitment to provide space for a blood drive the exact same day last January and with the Christmas/holiday season happening around the same time, we have been left with few options to get this new tool in service/on the road protecting our community,” noted Thomas.