Fire Department Christens New Fire Truck With ‘Wetdown’

Fort Lee Ladder Company No. 3 hosted a “wetdown” Saturday in for their new 2011 Sutphen 2000-gallon pumper.

Fire companies from northern New Jersey and Rockland County attended to help the celebrate and take part in friendly water fights.  

As Patch editor Ann Piccirillo it:

There's a tradition among volunteer fire departments whenever a company gets a new fire truck. This tradition is called a "wetdown"—firefighters from area towns drive their engines into town to ritualistically douse, or christen, the new fire truck by spraying it with water from the hoses of their engines. Essentially, it's a gigantic water fight where other fire departments bring their trucks and "wet down" the new truck, along with anyone who happens to be in the line of fire. 

Fort Lee resident David Sarnoff was in attendance at Constitution Park and captured these images.