Now, the 19,000 square feet, $5 million facility is nearly complete and ready for the grand opening to be held at the station Aug. 25 at 10 a.m.  

At the celebration, Padovan said they’ll have bounce houses and snacks along with tours of the station and trucks. They’ll also invite the public to participate in a ceremonial “push-in” of one of the fire trucks into the station.

Fire department officials are in discussions with several manufacturers to decide on the engine that will be the best fit for the departments. Gantz said the department plans to buy a truck that is an engine and a ladder truck combined.  

The new truck will replace a 1971 model that isn’t up to current standards, Gantz said. Having a fleet that meets current safety standards is imperative, Borough Manager Mario Leone said.

 

The department will have to scrap the old engine or donate it to a fire academy under the terms of the grant.

Volunteer firefighters lined both sides of the engine as they slowly rolled the shiny new red truck into its bay at Fire Station No. 1 just after 9 a.m. Saturday.  

After the pushing-in ceremony, Fire Chief Brian Nickerson said the engine was dedicated in part to Weber, who died in November from cancer at age 70, because he supported the fire department 100 percent. "He asked questions, but he always supported us. Now, he will be going on calls with us every day," Nickerson said.

Nickerson said as far as he knows, the pushing-in ceremony was something the city of Moscow had never done before, but it is a tradition he hopes to continue next year when the department receives the second fire engine it ordered.

The purchase of the Pierce Saber FR engine was approved by the Moscow City Council during the summer of 2017 at a cost of nearly $500,000.