Bedford Park Fire Department celebrates the addition of two new Fire Engines Friday

Bedford Park, IL – Bedford Park Mayor David Brady will join Fire Chief Daniel Johnson and members of the Bedford Park Fire Department on Friday, August 28, to dedicate two new Fire Trucks.

Mayor Brady said the public is invited to attend as the Fire Department conducts a century-old tradition in which Fire Fighters “wet down” the new equipment.

The “wet down” dates back to a more than 100-year practice to formally welcome a new apparatus into service while honoring the equipment it replaces.

“The Fire Department has two new fire trucks, Fire Engine 71 and Fire Engine 72, and they will be unveiled at Fire House 1 Friday at 10 am,” Mayor Brady said.

Bedford Park fire truck 72. Photo courtesy Ray Hanania

“Additionally, Fire Engine 71 will be dedicated in honor of former Fire Chief Robert Rubel, who passed away on June 8, 2026, after nearly 60 years of service as a firefighter.”

Fire Chief Johnson said the arrival of a new fire apparatus is a significant milestone and a source of pride for fire departments and their communities.

The tradition of a ceremonial “wet down,” he explained, dates back more than a century and “serves to formally welcome a new apparatus into service while honoring the equipment it replaces.”

As part of the ceremony, the new Engine 71 and Engine 72 will be dedicated and ceremonially “wet down” with water from a hose line, he said.

Following the wet down, the new engines will be dried and prepared for the traditional push-in ceremony, where firefighters, family members, community leaders, and guests work together to push the apparatus into its firehouse for the first time.

Because Engine 71 will serve at Fire Station 1, the dedication provides an opportunity to recognize Chief Rubel’s years of service and leadership while establishing a lasting connection between his legacy and the apparatus serving the Department and community from Station 1.

Fire Station 1 is located at 6820 S. Archer Road. The ceremony will begin at 10 AM, Mayor Brady said.

Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served to firefighters, guests, and members of the public who attend.

For more information on Bedford Park, visit the Village’s official website at: www.villageofbedfordpark.com.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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