Douglas County is excited to commission a new fire truck into service for all its citizens.

(Douglas County, GA)-On Friday, November 19, 2021, District 3 Commissioner Tarenia Carthan and Fire Chief Roderick Jolivette of the Douglas County Fire/EMS Department hosted, in traditional fashion,  a “Wet Down & Push-In Ceremony” to introduce to the community the arrival of a new fire truck, a 2020 Sutphen Custom Severe Duty Monarch Pumper. The fire truck is one of 4 new fire trucks obtained under the current county SPLOST fund.

District 3 Commissioner Tarenia Carthan remarked, “The excitement on the faces of the 7th graders at Chapel Hill Middle School as they used the fire hose to wet down the truck and as they helped us to dry the truck was one of the highlights of my year. Public Safety is a priority, and I am happy about the progress I see in my district.”

The wet down ceremony is a traditional celebration by fire departments when commissioning a new fire apparatus by anointing it with water sprayed from the retiring fire truck. The ritual dates back to the 1800s when firefighters would wash the horses and apparatus used after a fire and push it back into the firehouse bay.

The public, along with officials and Fire and EMS members, assisted with the “push-in” of the truck to its new home bay at Station 5, located at 3901 Chapel Hill Road, Douglasville, GA 30135.

The ceremony culminated with Chairman Dr. Romona Jackson Jones, District 1 Commissioner Henry Mitchell III,  County Administrator Sharon Subadan, and SPLOST Communications Director David Good. Congratulations to the Douglas County Fire and EMS Department.