Atlantic Steamer Fire Company Welcomes New Fire Boat In Traditional ‘Wetdown’
OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK - The Atlantic Steamer Fire Company officially commissioned their new fire department fire boat “55M5” in Oyster Bay Harbor on Sunday afternoon with a wetdown ceremony.
The Atlantic Steamer Fire Company welcomed the newest apparatus into its fleet in a wetdown ceremony at the boat ramps in Theodore Roosevelt Park on Sunday, June 25th, 2023 at 12:00PM.
Members from multiple fire departments in the area came to help celebrate the newest addition and take part in a tradition that fire departments have been holding for centuries.
Historically, a “wetdown” is a tradition that is celebrated by many fire departments throughout the United States. Firefighters will anoint the new apparatus with water to officially welcome it into the department’s fleet.
The tradition can be traced back well into the 1800s when horses carrying fire apparatus were washed down following fires and firefighters would then push the apparatus back into the fire station.
Parkgoers and members of various departments lined up near the boat ramps inside the park next to the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company station as the lights and sirens commenced, bringing multiple streams of water from fire hoses, fire trucks, and fire boats onto the new apparatus.
The new fire boat will be used by the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company to respond to various incidents and emergencies on the busy waterways around the Oyster Bay, New York area, including, but not limited to; boat fires, boat accidents, jet ski accidents, and vessels run aground. These are only a few of the many different calls for service that the departments that cover the North Shore waterways respond to during the busy boating season.
The Atlantic Steamer Fire Company, along with the Bayville Fire Department, Nassau County Police Department Marine Bureau, and Town of Oyster Bay’s Bay Constables collaborate frequently during waterway emergencies to provide the quickest response possible for when seconds matter most.
