The fire department in the city of Greer, South Carolina, completed a “push-in” ceremony for its new fire apparatus, Engine 41.

The “push-in” ceremony took place on January 30. “The tradition dates back 150-200 years ago when fire apparatus where horse drawn. The firefighters would take the new fire engine, or ladder truck, and push it back into the fire station,” Chief Dorian Flowers says in an interview by the city.  

Engine 41 is a ladder truck that was custom built by Pierce Manufacturing.

It replaced an older version that has served the community for 22 years. The new truck is 30 feet taller than the truck it replaced, according to Chief Flowers.

Chief Flowers explains it’s been a long time coming.  “This truck is much newer and safer with better technology. It will allow us to reach higher areas of the city.”

The new fire apparatus was a necessity for the city in response to the high growth the city has seen.

From 2010 to 2020, the city has grown to almost 10,000 people, according to U.S. Census Bureau.

Meeting Demand for a Growing City

To keep up with the growth, city leaders are doing their part to make sure the citizens have what they need.

This means more firefighters and fire equipment. In 2021, the city added 12 more full-time firefighters and approved $55,000 for new fire equipment, WYFF reports.

As a result of adding new equipment and firefighters, the fire department has improved their response time to around five minutes, according to Chief Flowers.

"Adding new equipment, keeping up to date with equipment that does help with morale. It also shows the firefighters they do have that support which they appreciate very much," Flowers states in a WYFF interview.

Greer Mayor Richard Danner adds, "This is a perfect example because you think about growth, you think about infrastructure and some of the other things. It also comes with more parks, more police cars, more fire trucks, more employees, all those sorts of things so it's an ongoing process for a growing city.”

For more details on Engine 41, click the play button below.