The City of Arkadelphia will be hosting a community push-in ceremony for its new fire engine on Thursday, April 27 at 12:00 p.m.

Keeping with a 400-year-old tradition, the Arkadelphia Fire Department will be pushing the new truck into its bay at Fire Station 2. Community members are invited to attend the ceremony and help AFD push the truck into the station.

“This engine was made possible by and will serve our citizens,” Arkadelphia Fire Chief Jason Hunt said.

“We want to continue to unite our firefighters and community members as a team, and there’s no better way to do that than by including them in this ceremony.”

Push-in ceremonies began in the early 19^th century when the first fire engines were put into service. Prior to that, fire departments relied on horse-drawn pumpers when responding to incidents. These carts were pushed by hand back into the station after each call. The push-in ceremony remains a symbol of fire service unity and serves as a way to honor the history found in fire departments across the nation.

“Firefighting is a risky and demanding profession that requires the best equipment and tools to protect the lives and property of our citizens,” Chief Hunt said.

“With this new tool in our fleet, our residents can rest assured these men and women are utilizing the best equipment and training to keep our community safe.”

Dubbed “Fire Rescue 2,” the city’s new fire truck will officially be put into service following Thursday’s ceremony.