The public is invited to join firefighters in welcoming South County Fire’s tiller truck to service with a traditional push-in ceremony on Monday, May 1, 8 a.m. at the Keeler’s Corner Fire Station, 3922 156th St. S.W., Lynnwood.

Those in attendance at the ceremony will help “push” the new tiller into the firehouse. This custom dates back to the 1830s and the days of horse-drawn equipment, which could not be easily backed into the station. Firefighters would unhitch the horse team and push the equipment into the station.

Measuring nearly 62 feet in length, the new tractor-drawn aerial ladder truck is the largest vehicle in South County Fire’s fleet. A driver in the front cab steers the front axle while a second driver steers the rear axle from the tiller cab in the back. This makes the truck more maneuverable than a standard ladder truck.

The Keeler’s Corner Fire Station is one of 15 neighborhood fire stations staffed around the clock by South County Fire to serve 300,000 residents in unincorporated South Snohomish County, Brier, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mill Creek and Mountlake Terrace.