St. Cloud Fire Department Plans Community Push-In Ceremony for Two New Trucks

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Fire Department is planning a push-in party for two new trucks in the coming months.

The tradition dates back to early fire departments when engines were horse-drawn and steam-powered, and the whole community would help unhitch the horses and push the equipment back into the station to get it ready for the next call.

The large, expensive, life-saving equipment was ordered in October 2022 and will arrive soon. Due to the custom specifications of the equipment, the trucks take two to four years to build.

They include a fire engine for station three, near Talahi Community School, and a ladder truck for station two, near the Municipal Athletic Complex. An exact date hasn’t been picked for the celebration, but it will likely take place in mid-August.

St. Cloud Fire Chief Matt Love explained to KNSI News why they’re holding the event. “The ceremony of pushing it back into the station to its firehouse, its home, involves the community and involves elected officials and involves firefighters, and it’s very symbolic of the partnership the community has with their fire department.”

Love described how everyone has a role. “Everybody puts their hand on the truck and we slowly push that truck back into its quarters. And then after that, we do a radio call out.”

That call out lets dispatch know the truck is in service and ready to respond to emergencies.

St. Cloud held a push-in ceremony in February for a new engine at station five near River Bluffs Regional Park.

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