OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford The Fredonia Fire Department dedicated its two newest trucks, Engine 16, at left, and Tower 18, Wednesday. Fire Chief Joshua Myers and other department members look on as Robert Hayward and Kurt Maytum conduct the ceremony.

The Fredonia Fire Department dedicated its two newest trucks Wednesday.

Engine 16 and Tower 18 were blessed by department Chaplain Robert Hayward in an event held on Park Avenue.

The chaplain touched both trucks with holy water. For each vehicle he said, “Run well. Do your duty for years to come.”

Then he declared, “Engines, you have been blessed! Do you have a response?” Both trucks sounded their horns.

In a grim irony, the event was shrouded by smoke from fire. Distant wildfires in Minnesota and Ontario spewed their smoke into Western New York on Wednesday, and the dedication took place through a weird brown mist.

Both trucks have been in service for a few months now, according to the Fredonia Fire Department’s Kurt Maytum. Tower 18 is a permanent replacement for a tower truck purchased in 1998. The department used an interim tower truck purchased from the Scranton Fire Department near Hamburg for a couple years, after the 1998 truck was no longer serviceable.

“This is a very positive thing for the community,” Maytum said. He noted the tower piece on the new truck is much more flexible than the old one; for example, it can easily open to allow firefighters direct access to a roof.

“We were able to get a better deal on these trucks because we bought them at the same time as the Dunkirk Fire Department,” Maytum stated.

He added that Wednesday’s event “kind of comes at a special time” because this year marks the 125th anniversary of the founding of the current Fredonia volunteer fire department. The department uses a mix of volunteers and paid staff.