Chief Wood Weiss has plenty of pull around Skagit County Fire District 13.
But he’ll need help when it comes to making a big push to officially welcome the newest addition to the district’s firefighting fleet.
Weiss is seeking volunteers to take part in a 6 p.m. Jan. 14 “push-in” ceremony at the district’s Snee-Oosh Road station for the versatile 575-hp 2026 Pierce Tender rig purchased last fall. The new truck, which has a 3,000-gallon water capacity, weighs over 50,000 pounds.
“It’s our first large capacity apparatus that has pump and roll capability,” he said. “This means we can fight fire while moving. This is especially helpful in fast-moving wildfire scenarios.”
A “push-in” ceremony is a tradition for commissioning new fire apparatus, where firefighters and community members manually push the engine into the station bay, symbolizing unity, honoring history — dating to when horse-drawn engines had to be pushed — and connecting the fire district with the public.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
