Milton Fire-Rescue Department Welcomes Newest Fire Engine

MILTON, GA -- The City of Milton will formally welcome its newest resident, a 2019 Pierce Enforcer Pumper fire engine as part of the Milton Fire-Rescue Department arsenal, with a push-in ceremony on April 11.

The Push-In Ceremony is a traditional way to welcome a new fire apparatus to community service. The community is invited to help with the "push-in," at Station 43 (750 Hickory Flat Road), at 10 a.m.

"Years ago, the water pumpers were horse drawn, and when the firefighters returned to the station after responding to a fire, they would have to unhitch them and physically push the pumper back into the station," Milton Fire Chief Robert Edgar said in a release. "A 'push-in' ceremony is a long-standing tradition in the fire service and we look forward to sharing this tradition with the Milton community."

The Department acquired the new Pierce Enforcer Pumper as part of their overall fleet plan, which was designed to serve the current and future needs of the community. The new pumper will take the place of one of the 2007 engines as a front-line emergency response vehicle. The new engine, which will become the primary response for Station 41, cost $571,000. The engine it is replacing will be auctioned and the city anticipates recouping about $100,000.

This is the first of three new engines the department is purchasing to replace those original to the department, which began in 2007. The two additional "sister trucks" are set to arrive in Milton in the fall. Once they do, one of the original fleet engines will be auctioned, and the other will become a legacy unit and put into reserve status in case of an emergency.

These new engines have additional safety features, such as "clean cab technology," which meets the new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) cancer prevention standard, and is cleaner burning to meet the most recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions standards. They also come equipped with additional airbags.

The "retiring" engines each have an average of 120,000 road miles and more than 8,000 hours of operation. The normal life-span for a fire engine is 10-12 years, according to Edgar.

"These older engines have given us more than 10 years of dedicated service," he said. "Now, it's time to refresh the fleet."