The Columbia-Richland County Fire Department celebrated its new firetruck with a push-in ceremony Monday.

District 11 Councilwoman Chakisse Newton and other County officials helped firefighters ease the vehicle into the bay at the department’s Capitol View Station, ushering in its service to the community.

Richland County bought the new truck, Engine 30, using $430,866 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding.

“Our firefighters and our fire services are extremely important to Richland County,” Newton said. “The work that these men and women do is really critical to our community, so we were excited to continue and extend the partnership that we have with the fire service.”

Engine 30 is the second firetruck the County has purchased through CDBG funding. The first one came in 2016.

The new truck will generally service the area near Leesburg and Garners Ferry roads and the Lower Richland community, but can be used wherever needed, said Columbia-Richland County Fire Chief Aubrey D. Jenkins.

“This is just another tool to help our firefighters do their job better,” Jenkins said.