FERNDALE, Wash. — Whatcom County Fire District 7 (WCFD7) volunteer and career firefighters along with District Commissioners and others gathered this afternoon, December 28th, at WCFD7 Station 45, located at Grandview and N Enterprise Roads, as a new fire engine was ceremoniously placed into service.
Today’s ceremony replaced a 1990 Pierce fire engine (aka pumper truck) with a new Pierce fire engine purchased after voters approved a WCFD7 bond last year.
WCFD7 Division Chief Justin Iverson explained to those gathered that push-in ceremonies are commonplace in the fire service as a longstanding tradition. The ceremony recognizes how, when pumper trucks were horse-drawn, upon returning to a fire station after a fire call, firefighters would push the pumper truck into the station since the horses could not easily push it backwards.
The outgoing (left) and incoming (right) fire engines are prepared for bringing the new unit into service (December 28, 2020). Photo: My Ferndale News 
The water tanks of the outgoing fire engine (left) are transferred into the tanks of the incoming (right) fire engine in preparation for it being brought into service (December 28, 2020). Photo: My Ferndale News 
WCFD7 Division Chief Justin Iverson addresses the crowd prior to the “Push-In” ceremony at Station 45 (December 28, 2020). Photo: My Ferndale News
Prior to the actual “push-in,” the water tanks of the outgoing truck are emptied into the tanks of the incoming truck. This is another honored tradition.
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The outgoing E-45 will be transferred to Station 41, on Washington Street, where it will be renamed E-41 and continue its service while other fire engines are out of service while being refurbished according to Fire Chief Larry Hoffman.