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Bedford Park Fire Department celebrates the addition of two new Fire Engines Friday
Bedford Park, IL – Bedford Park Fire Chief Daniel Johnson and members of the Bedford Park Fire Department on Friday, August 28, will dedicate two new Fire Trucks.
Officials 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.
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. Chief Rubel worked many years to modernize and expand the department.
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,” officials 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.
The village purchased the two new fire engines this summer.
For more information on Bedford Park, visit the Village’s official website at: www.villageofbedfordpark.com.
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