Excerpts from the kcchronicle.com:

The St. Charles Fire Department will hold a traditional push-in ceremony and dedication for its new fire engine.

All are welcome to come to the ceremony and dedication at 9 a.m. Saturday at Fire Station #1, 112 N. Riverside Ave. in downtown St. Charles. After brief remarks, the old Engine 101 will be retired and the new Engine 101 will be pushed into the station. Following this, Tri-Com will sound a still alarm.

The push-in ceremony honors a longstanding fire service tradition dating back to the1800s when fire departments used hand-drawn pumpers and horse-drawn equipment, according to a news release from the St. Charles Fire Department. Upon returning to the station after a fire call, the horses could not easily back the equipment into the station, the release stated.

So they were disconnected from the fire equipment and firefighters would push the equipment back into the bays themselves, according to the release. Today, the ceremony signifies retiring an old engine and putting a new engine into service.

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