Washington Police and Fire Services, with help from other Beaufort County fire departments, officially put the city’s newest fire truck into commission Tuesday afternoon with a ceremony that stopped traffic and made a rainy day a bit wetter.

It started with a call from a Washington police dispatcher: “Engine 1, report to Station 1 for service.”

What followed was a police escort from Station No. 2 on West 15^th Street to the Station No. 1 on North Market Street. On arrival, Engine 1 was hit with spray from the water monitors atop fire trucks from Bunyan and Chocowinity volunteer fire departments in a commissioning ritual called a “wetdown.”

“It’s an old, old tradition,” said Washington Fire Chief Robbie Rose.

Rose said the tradition is still strong among departments in northern states but it hasn’t been seen here in a very long time. When Washington firefighters began talking about officially putting the new truck in service, the idea of a wetdown kept coming up.

“I said, ‘Let’s stop talking about it. Let’s just do it,’” Rose said.

The deluge from the visiting fire departments — visiting departments doing the anointing is also part of the tradition — continued until Capt. Doug Bissette finished backing Engine 1 into the fire station’s driveway. In front of the gathered crowd, pastor Scott Askew, of Union Grove Church of Christ in Pantego, blessed the vehicle and prayed for guidance and protection for those who will use Engine 1 to save lives and property.

The last part of the commissioning ritual included inviting anyone who wanted to help push the vehicle into its bay at Station No. 1 to do so. Washington City Manager Bobby Roberson, Fire Marshal Mark Yates, numerous firefighters, police officers, EMTs and even some family members participated in hand-delivering Engine 1 to its new home.

In November, the City of Washington authorized the purchase of the in-stock/demonstration 2015 Pierce fire engine from Atlantic Emergency Solutions. The price tag of the fire truck — which Rose said best meets the immediate needs of the department — was $448,995.