GREEN —The Green Fire Division will host a public celebration nearly as old as the fire service itself Oct. 11 in honor of the replacement of a 30-year-old truck with a brand-new 2025 model.
The community is invited to attend and take part in the traditional “push-in” ceremony, a symbolic fire service ritual dating back to when horse-drawn fire equipment was manually pushed into bays, for the division’s new 2025 Pierce Velocity heavy rescue truck.
The event — which also falls within National Fire Prevention Week — will be held at Green Fire Station 1, 4200 Massillon Road, and will include an open house from 9 to 11 a.m. with safety education, children’s activities, fire equipment displays, a Touch-a-Truck and light refreshments. The push-in ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.
“The push-in ceremony is a longstanding tradition that connects our present to the history of the fire service,” said fire Chief Jeff Funai. “We invite the Green community to join our firemedics, staff and retirees to share in this moment as we dedicate our newest apparatus to the safety and service of our residents.”
Funai said the new heavy rescue truck will be used primarily for special rescues including vehicle extractions, confined space rescues, rope rescues, building collapses and hazardous material responses.
Funai said the truck replaces a refurbished ladder truck with a 1993 chassis and 1995 rescue body. The new truck was purchased in October 2022 for $1.16 million, with $870,350 provided through a Federal Emergency Management Agency Assistance to Firefighters Grant and the remainder paid from ambulance billing and NEXUS Pipeline Settlement funds, according to officials.