Jan. 11, 2024

Johnson City Fire Department celebrates new engines with push-in ceremonies

On Thursday, Jan. 11, the Johnson City Fire Department (JCFD) officially christened two new fire engines into service with push-in ceremonies. The ceremonies paid tribute to the period when the JCFD operated with horse-drawn fire equipment. Horses were not able to back the apparatus into the fire station, so firefighters pushed the equipment into place. With the help of City leaders, firefighters carried on that tradition at Stations 3 and 4.

Engines 3 and 4 arrived in Johnson City on Nov. 17. The engines went through an extensive onboarding process which included installation of essential equipment. Station 3 firefighters began responding to calls with Engine 3 on Dec. 7. Engine 4 was put into service on Dec. 8 by firefighters at Station 4.

“These new engines are providing the citizens of Johnson City with state-of-the-art fire protection,” said JCFD Chief David Bell. “They are also providing safer and more efficient operations for our firefighters.”  

The engines were obtained, through a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Volkswagen Diesel Settlement grant with a City match. The total cost for both engines was $1,018,094.

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