After two years of construction, Harrison Hot Springs’ brand new fire truck is finally ready.
The Village of Harrison Hot Springs is hosting a traditional push-in ceremony to unveil the new truck on Monday, Dec. 19, at 4 p.m. at the Fire Hall (555 Hot Springs Road).
Custom designed by Fort Garry Fire Trucks, the 2022 Spartan Metro Star Pumper Truck will replace the 1992 Volvo model. The new engine is equipped with a number of improvements over the former model, including an upgraded water monitoring system, improved maneuverability, equipment storage and reduced emissions. The total cost of the engine is about $677,000; the engine will have an approximate lifespan of 20 years.
“I would like to thank the Harrison Hot Springs Fire Department members, village staff, mayor and council, FireWise Consulting and Fort Garry Fire Trucks for their professionalism throughout the design and build process,” said Harrison Hot Springs Fire Chief Trevor Todd in a statement released Tuesday, Dec. 13. “A thank you also, to Chief Gerald Basten from the Agassiz Fire Department for his input. The new rear mount pumper truck offers significant advantages in terms of enhanced fire suppression equipment and will be a firefighting asset in our community for years to come.”
Push-in ceremonies date back to the late 1800s when fire departments used to use hand-drawn pumpers and horse-drawn equipment. Since horses couldn’t easily back the equipment back into the station, firefighters back in the day used to work as a team to push the equipment and engine back into bay by hand.
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