Two Peoria Fire Department trucks will feature the orange and black of Manual Academy along with its signature mascot, the ram. It's part of a new program to identify the individual station houses with the neighborhood they are in.
In this case, station No. 4, at 2711 SW Jefferson Ave., has its engine No. 4 and truck No. 4 adorned with the logo "The Fighting 4s." The logos were unveiled Friday afternoon right before the Rams football team took on Normal West for homecoming at Peoria Stadium.
Fire Chief Chuck Lauss said this new logo is an opportunity to tie the neighborhood to the firefighters and the firefighters to the neighborhood.
"This is another chance to have a bit more pride in the area. Not that they don't already but this is that little extra," the chief said.
Rick Waldron, the head of the Local 50, the union that represents the firefighters, echoed that sentiment.
"We embraced this idea with our administration for the pure sake that your fire house is part of your neighborhood. We want to be as close to our neighbors as possible," he said.
One of those neighbors was Charlie Johnson, of CJ Signs, 4024 SW Adams St. His company made the decals and says he "grew up" in South Peoria as his father owned a business there. It's a way to giving back, he said.
The idea is two years in the making, Lauss said. The department set up an art committee and firefighter Dan Thornton came up with the design. So why The Fighting 4s?
"We are the busiest machines in the city," he said.