A fire alarm at a Covert barber shop came right in the middle of ceremonies involving a brand new Covert Township Firetruck on Wednesday, postponing those ceremonies until they could battle the blaze on 72nd Street near County Road 378.
The brand new fire engine was scheduled as the prime guest of honor in what’s called a “push-in” ceremony at the fire station and was actually getting underway when the fire bell rang and firefighters were forced to abandon the ceremony and race to the scene of the fire. 
The fire completely destroyed a shed adjacent to the barber shop and damaged the shop itself, however quick action by the firefighters saved the barber shop from a total loss and also protected a home and a large recreational trailer parked nearby. Authorities say they found the shed completely engulfed in flames on arrival, and worked quickly to knock down the flames and keep them from spreading further.
Meanwhile, back at the fire house, the “push-in” ceremony is a tradition that dates back to the days before motorized vehicles. Fire wagons of that era were pulled to the alarm by horses, and when firefighters returned to the station, they would unhitch the horses from the wagon and then push the wagon back into the station bay. Today’s ceremonial “push-in” events are viewed as bringing good luck for the new piece of firefighting equipment.
Having been called out to an actual alarm, the Covert firefighters had to postpone the push-in ceremony until they returned from the fire scene. Bangor Community Fire officials assisted at the scene of the fire and then, an hour later, firefighters returned to their station and conducted the push-in ceremony. 
The new engine is a couple of weeks away from going into service because equipment has to be added and training conducted according to Covert Chief Doug Myers. The new engine replaces a 26-year-old truck.
Here’s to good luck for years to come for Engine 1921.
The photos accompanying this story on Moody on the Market are courtesy of Tom Renner, photographer for the South Haven Area Emergency Services for Covert Township FD.
