Lynzie Lowe
The Reporter, Vacaville, Calif.
(TNS)
Jul. 9—Before fireworks lit up the night sky to celebrate the Fourth of July, the Suisun City Fire Department had a celebration of its own to welcome the newest member of its fleet — a brand new Type 5 Engine they have named Engine 548.
“Today is a special day, not only for our nation but here locally at the Suisun City Fire Department,” said Fire Chief Brad Lopez during the Fourth of July ceremony. “Here, we are going to acknowledge and put into service a brand new Type 5 wildland engine to serve our community.”
Lopez said the new engine is a 2023 4F 550 that is equipped with a pump, 400 gallons of water, 20 gallons of foam and a complement of wildland firefighting tools and hoses.
“This engine is replacing a 1998 Type 6 wildland engine and is equipped with the latest safety systems including airbags, ABS brakes and will be better equipped with technology to serve our community for the next 15-20 years,” said Lopez.
Fire Captain Ryan Esparza said the new engine is a high mobility asset that will make working with other area departments more seamless.
“I know personally, it’s much safer in this rig with my crew to not only respond within the city but also on mutual aid events,” said Esparza. “It’s just a great resource because it is replacing an old vehicle that was questionable for whether or not it was that reliable.”
According to Lopez, the Type 5 wildland engine was delivered on June 28. It cost a total of approximately $450,000 to purchase the new edition, which Lopez said was paid for through American Rescue Plan Act funding.
The process of acquiring a new engine can take several years, and Lopez also credited the assistance of past and present city council members in making this come to fruition for the department during the Push-In Ceremony.
According to Lopez, the traditional Push-In Ceremony developed in the early days of firefighting when apparatuses were not motorized. In those days, firefighters would manually have to push the fire engine back into the station when they returned from a call.
“Fire service is really built upon tradition,” said Lopez. “We try to keep much of the tradition of the fire service alive and continue on from those in the past that have kind of paved the way for where the fire service is today.”
When motorized apparatuses became standard, firefighters continued this ceremonial push-in practice, according to Lopez. The tradition lives on today.
With sirens lit and a round of applause, Engine 548 was officially pushed into service at the end of the ceremony by Lopez and several members of the department.
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