With the recent purchase of a water tender truck, the Beiseker Fire Department will be celebrating the newly added addition during a time-honoured ceremony come this Saturday.

Chief of the Beiseker Fire Department, Nikki King explained that years and years ago when horses were utilized in fire departments, they would help firefighters push fire equipment into the hall, which was then dubbed as a 'push-in'. 

"It goes back to the days when fire apparatuses were horse-drawn and they couldn't get the horses to back up, so, the firefighters would have to unhook the apparatus and push it into the base. It's an old fire service tradition that anytime you bring a new apparatus into service, you do a push-in ceremony," Chief King said. "We're going to be doing that in conjunction with a community barbecue, just to thank everybody for their support."

And come this weekend, that tradition will continue.

"We're going to have a couple of speeches and thank all our supporters and then we're going to put our shoulder to it and try and shove it into the bay."

The water tender truck's purchase was made possible by determined fundraising efforts of not only the fire department but support from the Beiseker Chamber of Commerce, the Beiseker Lions Club, and Heighton Auto Restorations, all of whom Chief King said gave considerable donations towards the purchase. The Chamber of Commerce donated $10,000, while the Lions Club donate another $5,000. The fire department was also engaged in various fundraising activities, including volunteering at an annual car show. 

The 1998 purchased water tender truck will be replacing the department's 1983 water tender. As Chief King, underlined, the Beiseker Fire Department's operating budget is very small, hence the $80,000 needed to purchase the water tender would not have been possible without the community's engagement. She also noted that the water tender is a vital piece of equipment for the department, especially in battling grass fires.

"We're very busy with grass fires and that's the unit that we use predominantly for grass fires. Now, that we're heading into harvest, we expect it to pick up. The problem that we had with our old tender was that it had a 13-speed transmission, which meant that there weren't very many people that could operate it," she said. "The new truck that we bought has a six-speed transmission with hydraulic brakes, which means anybody that can drive a stick, can operate this tender; so it increases our capacity and our ability to respond to emergencies within the county and within the village exponentially."

Chief King and the Deputy Fire Chief travelled all the way to Ottawa at the end of June to pick up the tender. They made the three-day. 3,500-kilometre journey back to Alberta in the newly acquired fire tender. When asked if the journey was slightly taxing, Chief King said it was a chance for some much-needed strategic discussions. 

"We met up and then the two of us smoke cigars and solved all the world's problems," she jested. "It [the water tender] withstood the trip like a real trooper. It's a great addition to our hall."

However, Chief King added that the next time the department purchases a new apparatus, she would prefer that the purchase be made, from perhaps sunny California.

The ceremony and community BBQ will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 11 at the Beiseker Fire Hall. 

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