Jumpline MAG_Spring 2026 - Flipbook - Page 9
Michael Vallone, Ret.
Jumpline Editor
Fire Service Tradition
Another strong tradition is the challenge coin. With its birth in the military, the
challenge coin has grown in the 昀椀re service
and other services. The coin represents
membership, achievement, or meritorious service. It is a symbol of honor.
A MDFR tradition is a pushin event, where station personnel push
a new apparatus into the 昀椀re station as it
昀椀rst goes into service, and the Chaplain gives
a blessing. Some other departments celebrate a
new apparatus with what’s called a “wet-down.” The
new apparatus is hooked to a 昀椀re hydrant; station personnel
charge a handline and visiting departments pull up and a water
昀椀ght ensues. The wet-down can last for hours and ends with food
and drink for all. Often a beer-stein is produced for the speci昀椀c
event.
MDFR recruit classes provide a token of appreciation to the
instructor cadre. These tokens can be very expensive and elaborate. It is representative of each individual class. This tradition
has been going on for decades, and had become rather competitive with each new recruit class trying to out do the past classes.
The training facility houses these tokens.
Another tradition, 昀椀re service wide, which identi昀椀es stations and departments, is patches. They
often become part of the dress uniform. Also patches represent
certi昀椀cations and also become part of the duty uniform. Some
patches may be described as classic, hysterically funny. Fire昀椀ghters or departments often have patch collections. MDFR has
a grand collection in the training facility administration/classroom
hallways.
Fire service tradition comes in the artistic side
also. There are many writers in the MDFR family including:
Bob Palestrant, Gia Haff, Brian Andersson, Keith Sea昀椀eld, Albert
Mesa, and Saul Wiezenthal, and most likely others. Not just writ-
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ten word but musically, 昀椀re昀椀ghters excel: Paul Mesina, Ryan Townsend, Eddy Alarcon, Troy Maness,
Miguel Peralta, Adrian Ballard, Robert Keller, and
others. Fire昀椀ghters artistry goes further in making magni昀椀cent American 昀氀ags out of old
昀椀re hose, some that 昀椀ll up an entire wall
from discarded 昀椀re hose. Fire helmets
and 昀椀re hydrants also get the artistic
hand making some beautiful pieces. Fewer but still cultural is the hand crafted domino’s
table used to recreate at the 昀椀re house.
There are events which become culture, such as
the holiday dinners at 昀椀re stations year after year, where families
of 昀椀re昀椀ghters come to the station and celebrate together. There
is also the station units gathering at places like the “Wheel” for
shots of Cuban coffee, in between calls. Retiree gatherings are
also a tradition, which is a piece of 昀椀re service culture. Another tradition is the Christmas tree pyre, at a personal residence,
usually held in the South end of the county, after dozens of discarded Christmas trees are piled and burned; so tremendous the
blaze, the ceremony acquired a burn permit from the county to
legally burn. There are also the lesser, in quantity only, Christmas
tree burnings at the 昀椀rehouse. Ten trees makes a heck of a 昀氀ash.
Caution is encouraged especially when trees are burned close
to a chain-link fence adorned with plastic privacy slats. Tones
sounded, an engine has even been dispatched to “smoke in the
vicinity of the 昀椀re station,” as trees burned. Yes an investigation
ensued and all was made well.
All who wear the polo shirt, bunkers, badge, or
dress uniform, become part of the tradition, the
culture, the family, not of just current MDFR, but
the 昀椀re service present and past. It’s a magni昀椀cent place to be.
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Spring 2026 | JUMPLINE Magazine
