The Taylor Fire Department welcomed its newest arrival Saturday – a state-of-the-art fire engine replacing an older model in service for nearly three decades.
Engine No. 3 was inducted into service with a traditional “push-in” ceremony at Fire Station No. 1, 203 Elliot St.
“This new engine represents progress, safety and an ongoing promise to serve the citizens of Taylor with the dedication and excellence that they have gotten for a very long time,” said fire Lt. Brandon Sanders.
The new addition was ordered in January 2022 and cost about $667,000. Fire Chief Daniel Baum said ordering an engine at today’s prices would cost about 30% more.
Engine No. 3 will replace retiring Engine No. 11, a fire truck that has served Taylor since 1996. At almost 30 years old, Engine No. 11 has outlived many other engines built around the same time.
Baum said most fire trucks have an expected useful life of about 20 years.
“This engine carried generations of firefighters into harm’s way and brought them home. It helped save lives, protect property and earned the trust of the community. In fact, Engine 11 has served longer than any current member of the Taylor Fire Department,” Baum said.
The community joined in welcoming the new engine with a ceremony that dates back to the time of horse-drawn fire wagons — the “pushin” ceremony, where the new apparatus is physically pushed into a fire station bay.
In the old days, after fighting a fire, the crew would bring the wagon back to the fire station, unhook the horses, clean the apparatus and push it back into the station ready to be hitched up again for its next use.
On Saturday, June 7, water from Engine No. 3 was used to wet down the new arrival and the public joined with first responders to symbolically clean the truck. Then, with a firefighter behind the wheel and the engine in reverse, visitors and firefighters pushed Engine No. 3 into the fire station, ready for service.
The new engine starts this week, working out of Fire Station No. 2 at 705 Carlos G. Parker Blvd. N.W.
Baum said the department is expecting its next new arrival, a ladder truck, by May 2027.
