More than a dozen Polk Fire Rescue personnel and three county commissioners squeezed together and heaved the hulking fire engine backward into the Kathleen Fire Station during its grand opening Thursday. The engine push-in is a tradition more than a century old and is a mainstay of ceremonial station openings. The ceremony is a fire service tradition that dates to the late 19th century when fire departments used hand-drawn pumpers or horse-drawn equipment. “Upon returning to the station after a call, the horses could not easily back in the equipment into the station,” Polk Fire Chief Robert Weech said to an audience of about 100 guests and staff. “So, they were disconnected from the fire equipment and the firefighters themselves would push the equipment back into the bay. This is how we’ll open up this station." “You guys ready?” Weech asked.