Clinton Fire Department invited members of the community to join them today, August 3rd, for a traditional “push-in” ceremony for Engine 4, the newest addition to the department which replaces a 1993 KME Fire Apparatus. At 30 years old, the KME was due for replacement as a frontline engine, yet it will remain as a “reserve pumper” in case of need. Engine 4 is the third fire apparatus purchased with funds from a 1/4 cent fire tax approved by voters in the City of Clinton in April of 2017.
Before the push, brief remarks were given by Deputy Fire Chief Matt Willings, Clinton Mayor Carla Moberly, and Fire Chief Mark Manuel. Deputy Chief Willings gave thanks for the support of the community and explained the need for replacing the KME and the safety benefits to the community–as well as the firefighters themselves–of maintaining current equipment within the department.
Mayor Moberly spoke next, again thanking Clinton voters for approving the tax. Moberly explained that upgraded fire equipment benefits the community financially as well. All fire departments in the US are rated with an Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating, also known as a Public Protection Classification (PPC) or fire score, based on the level of efficiency with which the fire department is able to protect its community. Better equipment and more personnel lowers the department’s fire score (lower ISO scores are better, like in golf). Because insurance companies use fire scores as one way of setting rates for both personal and commercial insurance, a lower fire score benefits homeowners in the community, but also improves economical development for new businesses considering Clinton. Moberly also cited the improved safety benefits to our firefighters, particularly in the exceptional heat of this year’s summer, which has made firefighting even more difficult and dangerous than usual, and thanked our firefighters for all that they do to keep our community safe. She further noted that the city tax dollars are being spent on improvements as promised, and that the fire department hopes to purchase another vehicle in 2027.
Fire Chief Manuel spoke next, expressing his gratitude for all the difficult work department firefighters do, because “if it wasn’t for them, none of this equipment would mean anything. They’re nothing but trucks without these firefighters who get the apparatus to the scene.” He thanked the firefighters for all that they do, then briefly explained the history of the push-in ceremony. Early firefighting apparatus before motorized equipment often consisted of steam engines either pulled by firefighters themselves in handcarts or later, by horses. The horses who pulled the equipment were not able to back equipment into station garages, however, and so firefighters would have to unharness the horses upon returning to the station and push the equipment back into place as a team. Willings explained that fire departments retain push-in ceremonies as a tradition in tribute to past firefighters and their history. Due to the weight of modern fire trucks, current tradition does allow a little help from the power of the engine itself, yet members of the department still join together with hands on the truck and push together.
Clinton Fire Department Chaplain Daniel Beebe then gave an invocation giving thanks for the opportunity to purchase the truck, asking to bless the new engine and our community which it serves. Members of the fire department then joined together at the front of the truck in a ceremony of symbolic unity steeped in historical significance, placing hands on the truck and pushing it into place as a team–with a little help from the engine itself.
Those of us at Radford Media Group would like to add our thanks, to the voters of the community for approving the tax that provided for the purchase of Engine 4, and to the firefighters of our community who operate it and all that they do to keep our community safe. Thank you all, and be well.
By Adrianne Nichols, staff writer
