The Gastonia Fire Department welcomed citizens, Mayor Walker Reid, City Council members, the City Manager, Deputy City Manager and other City staff to Gastonia Fire Department’s Station 3 on Feb. 6 for a “push in” ceremony and open house to place a brand new ladder apparatus into service.
Ladder 3 is a 2018 Spartan/Smeal fire apparatus which has a 75 foot ladder, 500 gallon water tank, and a 2,000 gallons per minute pump.
The “push in” ceremony is a time honored tradition in the fire service, and is a ceremonial way of retiring the previous Gastonia Fire Department firefighters, dignitaries from the city, and citizens who attended all ceremoniously pushed the new Ladder 3 into the bay at Station 3. Once inside Station 3 the Battalion 2 Chief radioed dispatch and placed the brand new Ladder 3 officially into service.
