VFD 'backs in' new firetruck

4:46 p.m. June 11, 2025

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

With hands on the front bumper and hearts full of pride, Moore County carried on a time-honored tradition Wednesday, welcoming a new fire engine into service with a ceremonial “back-in” at Station 1 on Majors Boulevard in Lynchburg.

The ceremony, a custom dating to the 1800s, serves as more than just a symbolic gesture – it’s a nod to the past and a celebration of the future. In the days of horse-drawn fire wagons, firefighters had to manually push their apparatus back into the station after returning from a call, as horses couldn’t back up easily. Over time, the practice – also called a push-in – became a ritual of respect and camaraderie.

The ceremony included Chief Mark Neal, Lt. Matthew Lendley, Public Safety Director Jason Deal, Chamber of Commerce President Marsha Hale, Barbara Patton, and Don and Nancy Primus.

Neal said the truck is a 2002 model with 38,000 miles, acquired via a broker from a town near Grand Rapids, Mich. It replaces a 2008 Ford F550 rescue vehicle.

“It carries more safety equipment and serves as a fire engine,” Neal said. “It carries 750 gallons of water and can pump 2,000 gallons per minute.”

Tagged “Rescue 400,” this is the sixth engine in the county across five stations. Neal noted that all Moore County residents are within five miles of a rated fire station.

The “400” is in honor of former Capt. Tommy Womble; it was his department number. “400 is with us,” Neal said. “He was a good one. We miss him terribly.”

The truck carries the newly acquired Jaws of Life and heavy lift bags, which have a combined price tag of almost $42,000 – but cost the taxpayers nothing. Firehouse Subs donated the Jaws of Life, and the heavy lift backs were acquired via a state grant. Neal noted that another $100,000 worth of equipment on the truck was previously purchased or donated.

After a walk-around tour of the vehicle, and with Lendley at the steering wheel, Neal and the dignitaries lined up to push the gleaming red truck into the bay – signifying it’s now ready to respond to emergencies.