The Pella Fire Department put the finishing touches on their new Pierce pumper engine Saturday, and pushed it into the station to officially move the vehicle into service.

Pella Fire Chief Randy Bogaard says the manual pushing of any truck is a tradition that dates back to when firefighting was less mechanical and more manual. The new Pierce pumper replaces a 30 year old unit, a move that was approved by the Pella City Council and paid for, in part, with Local Option Sales Tax dollars.

Last week, the Pella Fire Department underwent training to learn the ins and outs of the new engine ahead of it coming into the fleet of vehicles.

The new truck had its first call for service on Saturday — to escort the Pella state champion cross country teams to the high school from their trip coming home from Fort Dodge.