“Push-in” ceremony celebrates Valdosta’s new Engine 1
Published 5:52 pm Wednesday, March 26, 2025
With helping hands from the Boys & Girls Club, attendees join together to push in Valdosta’s new Engine 1, honoring a firehouse tradition.
Valdosta Fire Chief Brian Boutwell opens the ceremony with a few words before the traditional push-in event for the new Engine 1.
Members of the community gather for a prayer over the new fire truck, blessing its service and those who will use it.
VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Fire Department welcomed its newest fire apparatus into service with a nod to history during a traditional push-in ceremony.
The event, held at Valdosta’s Fire Station 1, drew a sizable crowd, including members of the Boys & Girls Club, who took part in the ceremonial pushing of the truck into its bay — a fire service tradition that dates back to the 1800s.
The ceremony began with attendees placing a hand on the firetruck as a prayer was said over the truck and the ones who would operate it. The celebration also featured a variation of the traditional “wash-down” custom, where neighboring fire companies doused the new truck with water. To avoid further polishing the new Engine 1, the department decided on a symbolic passing of the torch to transfer the tank water from the old Engine 1 to the new truck.
The previous Engine 1, with a recognizable white top, will now serve in a reserve capacity. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a truck is recommended to be out of service after 25 years of operation. Therefore, the white-topped Engine 1 will replace a 1998 truck on reserve duty.
“It is up to us to keep the traditions alive. Traditions like this date back to the 1800s,” said Valdosta Fire Chief Brian Boutwell, explaining the history behind the act. “Our younger folks we are hiring now will never know these traditions if we do not pass them on.”
