(April 17, 2025) Davenport Fire Chief Mike Carlsten led a “push ceremony” to officially place a new Engine 2 into service at the Davenport Fire Department Central Station.
The 2024 Sutphen fire engine is powered by a 9-liter engine that produces over 450 horsepower. The fire engine is equipped with a 500-gallon tank for water supply, capable of pumping over 1,500 gallons of water per minute and carrying over 1,000 feet of fire hose for fire ground operations. This vehicle has been designed to meet or exceed all the current industry standards.
“The design of the new apparatus gives us better mobility through town, greater reliability and versatility during responses and focuses on safety and firefighter capability for our responders,” Chief Carlsten said. “We realize this is a large investment into our organization. This new apparatus will provide the most up-to-date technology for our firefighters to answer the needs of our community in a safe and efficient manner.”
A push ceremony is a tradition that dates back to the mid-1800s when horses still pulled fire wagons to structure fires. When a company would return from the fire, the horses were unhitched, and the wagon was manually pushed back into the firehouse. In modern times, the ceremony is traditionally conducted for new vehicles and involves “pushing” the apparatus into the station.