Elmhurst welcomes fire engine with 'rite of passage'

A tradition acted out Tuesday in Elmhurst is as old as the days when horse-drawn pumpers were a primary tool for fighting fires.

With origins in the late 1800s, a ceremony called a "Wet Down" got an update as firefighters, community leaders and a priest welcomed the department's new Engine 1.

The Rev. Jason Stone, pastor of Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Elmhurst, prayed for God's blessing on the $586,000 vehicle as it sat on the driveway in front of Station 1 on York Street. He sprinkled the engine with holy water, symbolic of cleansing and life, then stepped aside to let the true wetting begin.

Each firefighter on shift flipped a lever on a hose from the old Engine 1, which is being retired, and sprayed the new one right on its big "ELMHURST" letters.

Fire Chief Thomas Freeman said the ritual allows firefighters to seek protection.

"It's to make us safer and protect us from the dangers of this job," Freeman said. "It's more than just

a ceremony. It should have deep-seated meaning for all of us."

Old-fashioned firefighters would wet down a new pumper-pulling horse before pushing it into its stable at the station, and they would bring priests to bless the animal and the people who would drive it, Freeman said.

The mechanical version of a horse deserves the same protections in a business heavily reliant on tradition, Deputy Chief Bill Anaszewicz said.

"It's kind of like a rite of passage for that new vehicle," he said.

Once the new Engine 1, a 2018 Pierce with a 750-gallon water tank, a 450 horsepower engine and 2,800 feet of hose storage, was wet with spray from its predecessor, Stone led the crowd of about 35 people in prayer again.

"Pour fourth your blessing on this fire engine," said Stone, who worked as an emergency medical technician and 911 dispatcher for 10 years before becoming a priest.

He then added some words for the personnel who operate it.

"Walk with them through the fire," he prayed, "and give your wholehearted blessing to every man and woman of this department as they do the job to which they've been called."

The new Engine 1 replaces two vehicles in Elmhurst, where officials have been planning for its arrival since 2015. Along with the old Engine 1 from 2001, the new vehicle replaces Squad 1, a rescue vehicle from 1995, so it is outfitted with battery-operated extrication equipment.

Engine 1 arrived a month ago, allowing firefighters to begin training on it before putting it into service with Tuesday's Wet Down ritual.

"The tradition is what makes us strong and what makes us who we are today," Freeman said. "The great Elmhurst Fire Department."