Ames Fire Department invites the public to a “Push-In Ceremony” to celebrate a recently acquired fire and rescue vehicle. The event will begin at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 18, at Fire Station No. 3, 2400 S. Duff Ave.

The new $1.16 million apparatus, the department’s first tower, features a basket at the end of the aerial device. The basket can hold several firefighters and provides access to high-rise structures for rescues while also allowing for elevated water streams. The vehicle was custom-made for Ames Fire by Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wis., and has been named Tower 1. Tower 1 was a scheduled vehicle replacement that expands firefighting capabilities to the department.

“We continually look for ways to improve our ability to respond quickly to any public safety incident with the most effective equipment,” said Fire Chief Rich Higgins. “We are excited about the additional resources Tower One provides to Ames citizens.”

Push-in ceremonies are a fire service tradition dating back to the late 1800s. Horse-drawn fire equipment, especially pumper trucks, had to be disconnected from the horses and pushed into fire stations by firefighters. Due to limited parking, those attending the Tower One Push-In Ceremony should plan to park along the frontage road in front of the fire station.

The Ames Fire Department is a full-service municipal department comprised of 59 firefighters located at three fire stations. Ames Fire focuses on prevention, suppression, emergency services, and fire safety inspections.

Easton city council Wednesday introduced an ordinance budgeting $1.7 million for a Pierce tiller, which, if approved, will be purchased through Glick Fire Equipment of Hatfield, reports wfmz.com.

Looking for an apparatus to maneuver the area’s tight streets, the department in the past has had trouble getting to calls on narrow streets, the report says.

Council expects to vote on the purchase at its next meeting, May 11, but, even if approved, it will likely be more than a year before the truck is in service, according to the report.

The Tomahawk Fire Department recently placed into service its new Engine 5, a 2022 Pierce Enforcer.

Earlier this week, department members switched the equipment to the new fire truck, which replaced a 28-year-old engine.

Prior to it being placed into service, crew received hands-on training on the apparatus, which can carry 2,500 gallons of water, as did its predecessor, but up to five firefighters compared to the “two to three that the old engine could carry.”

“We would like to thank Pierce Mfg and Kevin Pomasl from Pomasl Fire Equipment, Inc. for all of their help in taking our plans and making it a reality. This is the 1st Pierce apparatus for the Tomahawk Fire Department,” the department writes on Facebook.

Have you ever wondered how fire trucks travel to other countries, especially ones separated by bodies of water?

Well, wonder no more as the Daily Aviation has video on the loading process of a retired Mack CF-600 fire truck into a C-5M Super Galaxy to be transported overseas.