by Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
The Lake County Fire Rescue Department displayed its newest fire engine on Monday, May 15th at the Mascotte Fire Station location, 529 East Myers Boulevard. Engine 91, a brand-new Pierce model fire engine that will provide emergency services to the citizens of Mascotte and the surrounding South Lake community was dedicated to Fire Chief Randy Brasher in honor of his dedication to the fire service and community.
Dignitaries that included Chief Brasher, County Commissioner Doug Shields, Chairman Kirby Smith, Chief Jim Dickerson, and Chief David Kilbury participated in the presentation as well as the honorary unveiling of “Randy”, the nickname chosen for Engine 91.
Chief Brasher and others joined in for the age-old tradition of “pushing the truck in for the first time”. The tradition traces back to the 1800’s when crews returned from a call on horse-drawn equipment, the animals were unable to back into the station, requiring members to detach the horses and push the equipment into the bay of the firehouse. Over time, with the invention and adoption of motorized apparatus, the need to manually move the equipment was gone. However, the legacy of the push-in was secured.
