The Hollywood Firefighters at Fire Station Five welcomed a new fire engine today by performing a Fire Service ritual known as “Wetting Down” a new apparatus.
The ritual consists of the out-going apparatus being pushed through its home-station and washed one last time by its faithful crew. The new, incoming replacement then gets the same treatment, traditionally washed by the hose of the outgoing Fire Engine, but is then backed inside the fire station by its new crew pushing from the front. The outgoing Fire Engine, a 2000 Pierce E1 that has logged about 149,000 miles and has responded to many emergency calls throughout its service, has been replaced by a state-of-the art 2015 Pierce Impel, 1750gpm Fire Truck, which will see even more emergencies throughout its life-span.
The old truck will be placed in the reserve fleet, according to Anthony Vera of the Hollywood Professional Firefighters Association.
“This is a brand new truck, runs smoother, and is loaded with newer equipment and technology that wasn’t available in the fifteen year old model it replaced,” said Vera.