With the snip of a ribbon, Mayor Martin J. Walsh christened the first of the Boston Fire Department's 23 new fire engines Thursday at the Engine 17 firehouse in Dorchester. "With these new engines, we continue to make the Boston Fire Department stronger and more able to respond to the needs of every citizen," Walsh said.
The children cheered as the ribbon was cut, ran their hands across the engine’s shiny red paint, and giggled when they dropped the plastic firefighter hats they had been given. At the end of the ceremony, they offered handwritten notes to the firefighters who are often seen in the halls of their school.