Manor Engine Company 3, a fire station in Uniondale, unveiled its new 753 engine with a big celebration on Sunday.
One of the Uniondale Avenue station’s old fire trucks was getting old, prompting the station to take the necessary steps to replace it.
“In order to truly maintain the quality of our services to the community, we have begun looking for a new locomotive,” said Olena Nicks, 2nd Lt. of Manor Company 3.
The application process and wait time for a new truck can be long, Nicks said, and 753 took even longer than usual due to road closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a very lengthy process because we started this just before Covid,” she said, “and because of some supply issues and production and things like that, it’s taken a lot longer than any of our previous devices in the past.”
But the 753 finally made it to the fire station and is now officially in service, bringing Manor Company 3’s locomotive count back up to two. Its sister station, Brookside Engine Company 2, also has two locomotives serving Uniondale..
The dedication comes just as the Uniondale Fire Department prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in September.
The engine inauguration ceremony was attended by many local residents and fire department supporters, as well as firefighters from surrounding stations and Representative Anthony D’Esposito of the 4th Congressional District.
“Today is a part of the history of the Uniondale Fire Department, and we should not forget it,” D’Esposito said. “I pray every day that everyone who gets in that (vehicle) willsafely there and back.”
Honorary Chief Ron Seibert christened the vehicle with a champagne bottle and it was sprayed with water as it drove through the department’s firehouse grounds.
People cheered the new machine, ate burgers and other food provided by the fire department, and danced to the sounds of the DJ. Children jumped in a bouncy castle, slid down the slide, and played with a bubble machine. Branded merchandise, including t-shirts and mugs, were available for sale, drawing a line of supporters eager to purchase the items and show their pride in the Uniondale Fire Department.
Nicks said she is excited to share the fire truck’s dedication with the community and show residents what the fire station has to offer to protect Uniondale from fire damage and other emergencies.
“We want them to know that we always have their best interests in mind and that as we handled the calls, we were able to build exactly what the community and their support enabled us to do,” she said.
