PRESS RELEASE
Today was a special day for Station 4, the Lake Charles Fire Department and the City of Lake Charles.
On behalf of Chief Delton Carter and the entire department, we thank everyone who joined us today as we hosted our first Apparatus Housing Ceremony, welcoming Engine 4 into service. As part of this ceremony, we also officially radioed Engine 4’s predecessor out of service.
This ceremony is steeped in American Fire Service history that dates back to the 1830s when the firefighters used to meet the new fire equipment at the rail or ship. These were the days of horse-drawn and hand-drawn fire service units. The firefighters would hitch the horses to the new engine and parade it through town for the community to see. They would then bring it to the fire house to welcome it to the bay.
The wooden wheels would accumulate debris and dirt along the way, so they’d wash the tires down to keep the station floor clean (their sleeping quarters were above the bay) and as a means of helping preserve the wooden spokes and wheels. And, since most horses could not or would not back the fire unit into the bay, they would unhitch the horses and push it into the bay by hand.
Today’s ceremony featured the moving of equipment from the old Engine 4 to the new Engine 4 and then the transfer of the water from one engine to the other, preserving the lifeblood of the truck. The tire washing ceremony was also performed at this time.
In honor of “pushing” the new engine into the bay, a three-part process took place.
A prayer for the community was offered by Pastor and Lake Charles Police Department Community Policing Officer Sgt. Franklin Lewis and the first push took place. A second prayer, for the health and safety of the firefighters who will ride on truck was offered by Reverend John Hoffpauir and then the truck was pushed in a little further. A third prayer, offered by Father Nathan Long, blessed the truck, and the Engine was pushed fully into the bay.
Pastor Braylon Harris offered the ceremony’s closing prayer.
It was an honor to bring this tradition to the Lake Charles Fire Department and the City of Lake Charles. This is a tradition the department hopes to continue in the future.
