Placentia Fire Chief John “Pono” Van Gieson looked on from the edge of the driveway in front of Fire Station 2 on North Valencia Avenue at 8 a.m., Wednesday, July 1, when Orange County Fire Authority Engine 34 left the station for the last time.
Moments later, a brand new engine for the new Placentia Fire and Life Safety Department backed in for the beginning of its first shift. As Placentia police blocked a lane of traffic, members of the new fire department gathered in the front of the engine. On command, they all began pushing the engine into the station – a tradition officials said dates to the days of horse-drawn fire wagons – as a small crowd stopped to watch and cheered when the job was completed.
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