JOSHUA TREE, CA – In celebration of the new replacement fire engine in Joshua Tree, San Bernardino County Fire welcomed members of the community to Fire Station 36 to participate in the customary tradition of transferring water from “old to new.”
Children from the community participated in a “Bucket Brigade”. In the fire service, the act of transferring water represents life, as well as always being ready to protect. The kids passed 8 buckets of water from the old Medic Engine 36 in its replacement engine. Each bucket represented the 8 years of service the previous engine was used in the community. Once the water was transferred from the old fire engine, the new engine’s sirens sounded.
The ceremony also included the housing ritual which dates to the 1800s when horses were used to pull fire pumpers. Horses were not able to back a fire pumper into the fire station. The pumpers had to be pushed in backwards by people. To pay homage to the history of the fire service, community members assisted with pushing the engine backwards into the station.
The ceremony concluded by placing the new Medic Engine 36 into service.
“I would like the thank San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawe Rowe for her work in helping secure a community development block grant to fund this amazing new fire engine in the community of Joshua Tree,” said Fire Chief Dan Munsey. “This state-of-the-art engine will give our firefighters essential tools to protect the residents and visitors of the community and their property for years to come.”
The new Fire Engine will allow the district to provide more efficient service with advanced firefighting technology that will benefit the residents and visitors of Joshua Tree, the Morongo Basin as well as the 19,273 square mile fire district.
Protecting life and property is paramount for the fire department and having the right tools and equipment allows your firefighters to meet that goal.