Lacey Fire District 3, Thurston County Medic One hold push-in ceremony for new paramedic units 

Two new paramedic units are now serving the City of Lacey after Lacey Fire District 3 and Thurston County Medic One held a traditional push-in ceremony. 

Medic One supplied the apparatus as part of an ongoing countywide fleet upgrade. The agency has now delivered four of eight planned units, with Lacey Fire District 3 receiving two. 

Both agencies announced the milestone in separate statements on Tuesday, Jan. 27.  

Lacey Fire Chief Jennifer Schmidt and Thurston County Emergency Services Director Ben Miller-Todd led the ceremony for Medic 2 and Medic 3. The two officials discussed the history of the tradition and the work that went into getting the units on the road. 

The push-in ceremony dates back to before fire departments used motorized vehicles, when firefighters would physically push apparatus into station bays. The fire district said the tradition now represents “teamwork, pride, and the collective effort” required to place new equipment into service. 

About an hour after the ceremony, the fire district reported that one of the new units was already responding to a call in the city. 

In its statement, the fire district then highlighted the partnership with Medic One and recognized the people who played a role in the milestone. 

"A tremendous amount of hard work went into planning, equipping, and preparing these medic units for the road," the fire district wrote. "This was truly a team effort." 

The fleet upgrade is set to continue with Medic 6 expected to enter service next week, Medic One said.