TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR

On May 28, 2022, the Town of Russell Fire Department held a ceremony to dedicate their new fire truck Engine 4-23, in honor of Gary Prueser (last call Aug. 13, 1993). Prueser’s fire number was 23, and he was just 25 years old when he died.
As a part of the ceremony, Lieutenant Cody Bergman took water from Engine 7 and Captain Marcel Rusch delivered it to Engine 4-23. Engine 7 served faithfully for 26 years in the community. Chief Robert P. Kessel annointed Engine 4-23 with olive oil, asking for protection for all those who will work on this truck.
And members of the community and department performed the traditional “pushing in,” pushing the new truck into the fire station. Firefighters Jeff Miller and Tina Shenk officiated at the dedication. Former Chiefs Scott Olund and Dave Jackson were also in attendance.
The Freightliner chassis engine, which can hold 500 gallons of water and has a 1250 GPM pump, arrived in early April 2021. The first rollout of Engine/Rescue 4-23 was on June 5, 2021, operated by the Chief, but the Engine was not yet ready for service, and firefighters needed to have training on the new truck before it could be officially put into service and dedicated.