A brand new, specially designed fire engine came to rest at the Deer Valley Fire Station 34 on Thursday after a push-in ceremony to bring it in.
A small army of firefighters, Mayor Nann Worel, Summit County Council Chair Malena Stevens and City Councilors Ed Parigian and Jeremy Rubell pushed in the new engine.
The ceremony is a tradition tracing back to the day of horse-drawn vehicles, according to Chief Bob Zanetti.
“The ceremony itself ties everything together,” Chief Zanetti said. “We’ve been waiting two and half years for this to arrive.”
Capt. Jon Jahp explained some of the features specific to the new engine, describing how it was built to be able to maneuver in the tight spaces of Deer Valley and Main Street.
“As you guys know, it snows an insane amount up here,” Jahp said. “This has a new four-wheel-drive system that is hydraulic all-wheel drive.”
Jahp also explained the cab was designed to withstand large amounts of crush pressure that could happen in the case of a rollover incident.
Mayor Worel said she was “so excited that we have this resource here because the value of the property up here, as everyone knows, is in the billions of dollars. So to be able to protect that property gives me a great sense of security.”
After the engine came to rest in the bay of the station, Mayor Worel and Summit County Councilor Stevens were invited to throw a bucket of water onto it. The ceremony began around 1:20 p.m., and the new engine quickly became ready to respond to an emergency.
“I hope to have it in service by 2 this afternoon,” Chief Zanetti said while firefighters moved equipment from the one engine to the new one.
