VIDEO: Crew members used muscle power to push a brand-new ambulance into the bay at Station 6 in East Anchorage Thursday. Fire Chief Doug Schrage explained the tradition dates back to when fire equipment was pulled by horses which had to be unhitched before they could get into the fire house.
โThe horses canโt back up so in reality the firefighters had to push the vehicle into the station every time they use it. So today, in homage to that tradition, whenever we acquire a new piece of equipment, even though it has a perfectly good motor in the front, we push it in.โ
Station 6 was one of two which received a new ambulance Thursday. Station 3, also in East Anchorage, received one earlier in the day. In the coming weeks, two other new ambulances will be put into service at Station 5 in Spenard and Station 7 in Jewel Lake.
Schrage said the new ambulances will replace aging equipment that has become less reliable over the years. He said the older units will become much needed back-ups when an ambulance has to go in for service. โBeing that these are brand new units and they are replacing very aged ones it will mean more reliability,โ he said. โWhich means it is less likely that one of these is being broken down or being serviced with no reserves in place, so in the end, the effect will be an improvement in our ability to deliver service.โ
