Fire Department to Dedicate New Engine with Push-in Ceremony

Bloomington, In. - Mayor John Hamilton and Bloomington Fire Department (BFD) firefighters invite community members to a public push-in ceremony celebrating the arrival of the city’s new fire engine Wednesday, April 25 at 11 am at Station 4, 2201 East Third Street.  The event will include refreshments and tours of the new equipment. 

A push-in ceremony is the traditional way firefighters inaugurate a new engine while paying homage to those who preceded them.  The ritual harks back to the days before motorized engines, when garaging a hand-drawn hose cart or even a horse-drawn steam engine in the firehouse required a hands-on approach.

The new engine is a 2017 E-One Typhoon Custom pumper, with a 450 horsepower engine, 1500 gallon-per-minute pump, and 780 gallon water tank.  This is the second fire engine the department has purchased in two years in an effort to replace old, costly apparatus, and standardize the fleet for increased efficiency. The new vehicle was purchased for $484,985 with funds from the Public Safety Local Income Tax (PSLIT). It replaces a 2004 American LaFrance Pumper, which has averaged over $20,000 annually in repairs the previous three years.  The engine’s manufacturer went out of business in 2008, resulting in greater expenses and longer timelines for repairs and part replacements.  

“This addition to our fleet is critical,” said Jayme Washel, Deputy Chief of the Bloomington Fire Department.  “This resource will allow us to maintain the highest quality emergency medical and fire services for our residents, while increasing our efficiency in delivering them.”

The new engine will primarily cover the east side of Bloomington and Indiana University. When the department purchased the 2016 E-One Typhoon Custom pumper in 2016 for Station #5 at 1987 South Henderson Street, it was the first piece of equipment to have been acquired in four years.  That purchase was made possible through 2015 budget reversion funds.

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