The Oak Forest Fire Department invites the community to a traditional push-in ceremony to dedicate its new fire truck on Monday, July 14 at 10 a.m. at Fire Station 2 located at 4907 W. 167th Street. The dedication will include a blessing of the truck, followed by the truck being pushed by hand into the apparatus bay of the firehouse.
“This push-in ceremony honors the history and traditions of the fire service while wishing well upon all those that serve on and are served by our community’s newest fire truck,” said Fire Chief Gary Kasper.
The dedication ceremony has been a tradition in the fire service since the days of horse-drawn fire apparatus. In those days, horses could not back the fire apparatus into the firehouse, so the crew would have to unhitch and stable the horses, then wash the equipment before pushing it into the apparatus bay.
The new vehicle is a 2025 Pierce Ascendant 107-foot ladder truck. The state-of-the-art truck was designed and outfitted by the Oak Forest Fire Department’s Apparatus Committee. The truck will replace a 2001 Pierce truck that served 20 years as a first-out truck company.