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History of Fire Service Traditions

I have started to incorporate little bits and pieces of fire service history and traditions in my various training classes. In order to make sure I'm passing along accurate information, I'd like to verify the history and origin of some of the more common FD traditions. I wonder if as a group we could assemble an accurate overview of some of the most common fire service traditions.

For example: Housing Ceremony for New Fire Apparatus
Part of the traditional housing ceremony includes having the firefighters push the new apparatus into the firehouse. The origin is reported to be from the time of horse drawn equipment which could not be easily be backed into the building by the horses. In some places water from an old unit was transferred to the new apparatus often leading to spillage which then required the unit to be wiped down. In some places when the new engine or piece arrived, one of the mutual aid companies would be given the honor of escorting it to the fire company's firehouse and placing it in service. I have heard several reasons for why the unit is pushed in three separate times - What's your version of the reason for three "push back's"??

Other traditions and ceremonies for discussion might include the reasons and purpose of the various symbols used in FD badges and patches; history and overview of common apparatus design features like the Mattydale hose load or booster lines; bells on fire apparatus; etc. etc.

We've all heard various stories and reasons but I sometimes wonder which stories are the most accurate. Maybe this group can collaborate and pull together accurate information.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jason Franklin on August 7, 2008 at 9:13pm

My department doesn't recognize any traditions, except for swearing in new recruits. I have been trying to create a traditions class of my own. Is there a chance that I could see the material that you do have? I have to google everything!

The only thing that I know about pushing back an apparatus is that the horse drawn equipment had to be pushed in. We honor our past by continuing that tradition with our new apparatus. I have not heard about doing it three time? If I am off track on any of this please help me out!

I would like to know more about washing the tires on the rigs, I've heard two stories. One is that it's just to wash the horse crap off the wheels. The other is that when the tires were wooden spokes, that you needed to keep the wood damp. To prevent the wood from shrinking and keeping the wheels from falling apart?

Permalink Reply by Ron Becknell on September 9, 2008 at 11:21am

As for washing the rig after every call I have read in a couple of different books that it was mainly to wash off the horse crap that was sometimes kicked up on the apparatus.
I know in a recent book about New York firefighting there is a lot of talk of the first fire engines being pulled by hand to fires and that horses were not used at all for quite some time. So this could also be the origin the pushing the rig back in the station, there was no other way to get it in there.

Permalink Reply by Jay Wood on October 29, 2008 at 1:46pm

Here is a link to a nice site about fire service history. I cannot speak to the accuracy of the material, but it seems accurate. I don't see right off anything about the traditions of the fire service. Maybe the site will add that in the near future. www.firehistory.org/

Permalink Reply by William King on March 8, 2009 at 2:50pm

Our department goes with the Tradition of "pushing in" the new apparatus. We also escort the new apparatus to our station from the Interstate. My department has pride in FD Traditions. The following link is a video put together when we received our new PUC Engine just recently.

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