Even a 30-minute delay didn’t take away the excitement from members of the Jonesburg-High Hill Fire Protection District when they added a new truck to the firehouse.

The district held a push-in ceremony on Nov. 27 to introduce the first of its two new trucks. Over 50 people were in attendance at the 10-minute event that included refreshments such as cake and lemonade.

“We were happy to have the community come out and be here for the ceremony,” Fire Chief John Woods said. “It meant the world to us. The support that we’ve got from everybody has been great.”

The ceremony was scheduled to start at 1 p.m. before firefighters got a call about an accident near the High Hill overpass on I-70, delaying the event until 1:30 p.m.

“Of course at the time, when we’re trying to get the ceremony in, we’ll never know when the tones will go off and we have to be pressed into service,” Woods said. “But the guys have been great and I’m really proud of them for the work that they do here.”

A push-in ceremony is an event that started in the 1800s, when hose carts, ladder carts and fire pumpers were horse drawn.

Three different groups pushed the new truck into the fire station.

“It’s a very special ceremony for whenever we get a new fire truck,” Woods said. “It dates back to the days when equipment was horse drawn. It’s something very special to be able to get together with the community and celebrate a new piece of equipment to come to the area. We haven’t had a new fire truck here since 2006. The truck is still in service. Before that, the last new truck that we got was in 1984.”

Woods and board members made the first push. Then, the firefighters made the second push and the Jonesburg community members made the third and final push.

Also, the lower portion of the fire truck was washed off, which is another tradition at the Jonesburg-Hill Fire District. Several children got to dry off the truck.

The district purchased its two new trucks in the summer of 2021, just months after voters approved a tax increase to update its aging fleet and purchase new equipment. Woods presented the tax increase proposal to the Board of Directors in 2021.

The two trucks were originally scheduled to arrive in September. But the delivery got delayed.

“We had several different updates along the way,” Woods said. “The last update that we had was that this truck would be here in mid-October and the second truck would be here in April. The reason for that was the motor and cab were built by Freightliner and we were waiting for those to come to the factory. Once they get there, then they’ll build the truck.”

Woods said the district expects the second truck to arrive in April. There will be a push-in ceremony in High Hill in April.

“We’re very happy to do it there, also,” Woods said.