Tri-Township Fire Department to hold ‘push-in’ ceremony Monday for truck dedicated to late assistant chief

QUINCY — The Tri-Township Fire Department will officially welcome the addition of a new Truck No. 5, a 2024 Ford F-550 crew cab with a custom flatbed manufactured locally by Knapheide Manufacturing, during a ceremony on Monday, Dec. 23.

The truck is equipped with a CET Fire Equipment 250-gallon per minute pump and 300-gallon tank. It was built with a focus on using local businesses to manufacture and equip the truck to support the department’s mission.

Tri-Township Fire Department will hold a “push-in” ceremony that is deeply rooted in fire service history for the new apparatus that dates back to the days of the horse-drawn fire apparatus. Beginning in the 1800s, after crews returned from a call on horse-drawn equipment, the animals could not back into the station, requiring members to detach the horses and push the equipment into the bay.  Over time, with the invention and adoption of motorized apparatus, the need to manually move the equipment was gone. However, the legacy of the push-in was secured. 

Many fire departments now hold a push-in ceremony in honor of those early crews when taking delivery of a new apparatus. The department members push the apparatus into the station, placing it into service.  Push-in ceremonies have been performed by fire departments for generations. It has become a new tradition within the past two years for Tri-Township Fire Department.

“We at Tri-Township feel that an important part of being a Tri-Township firefighter is to honor the traditions of our service and all of those who came before us,” Chief Tom Bentley said in a press release. 

The new truck is dedicated to late Assistant Chief William “Bill” Dinkheller, a longtime firefighter and district trustee.

Dinkheller started his career in 1973 at the old 18th and State firehouse. He saw many changes to fire service during his years there, and in 2000, he helped to make possible the dedication of the station that Tri-Township Fire Protection District now calls home.

Dinkheller retired as an assistant chief in 2002, then came back to serve the department as a district trustee from 2009-15. He died in October 2021.