Firemen prepare for annual convention
CONNELLSVILLE – When the Fayette County Fireman’s Association holds it annual convention Sunday in Connellsville, the 50-plus organizations that protect their respective communities will take time to remember their fallen comrades and display their skills for the public. Each weeknight, various departments will battle for the first-place trophy by being the best at laying water hose, carrying water buckets, donning fire equipment or displaying their strength while the clock ticks as New Haven Hose Volunteer Fire Co. hosts the 68th annual event.
The competition, said Kevin Karwatsky, chairman of the hose-laying competition, can be fierce.
“Some teams practice year round,” he said. “They want to take home the trophy.”
There are two styles of hose-laying competition – moving and stationary – with each requiring the teams to work in concert while trying to finish the task in less time than it took their neighboring fire department.
In the moving competition, the fire truck travels a pre-determined distance near a fire hydrant while a firefighter prepares to exit the truck to attach a hose to the water supply.
The truck then moves to the next location while extending the hose line, said Karwatsky.
“As the line from the hydrant is being connected to the pumper, one or two firemen take an attack line and they go toward a barrel where there sits a basketball,” he said. “The goal is to get the water from the hydrant to the truck to the attack line and knock the basketball to the ground.”
The stationary competition is similar, but with the truck sitting in one position and the team carrying the hose line to the specified locations.
The Dunbar Volunteer Fire Co. is the team to beat in the battle of the barrel competition, said Guy Napolillo, committee chairman of the event.
“Those guys are tough,” he said.
The competition pits two-four man teams against each other to move a barrel along a steel cable with a stream of water.
“It takes a lot of teamwork,” said Napolillo. “The nozzle man is focusing all his energy on keeping the nozzle in the right place and the rest of the team has to make sure he has enough hose line, but not too much.
“It really is a coordinated effort.”
The schedule of events include:
– July 17 – 6 p.m., opening ceremonies followed by the battle of the barrel competition; 6:30 p.m., demonstration by axeman Harry Burnsworth; 8 p.m., musical entertainment by Harold Betters.
– July 18 – 6 p.m., hose laying and gear scrabble competition; 7 p.m., musical entertainment by the Del-Sols.
– July 19 – 6 p.m., bucket brigade competition; 7 p.m., musical entertainment by Girlz in Black Hats.
– July 20 – 6 p.m., tug of war and truck pull competition; 6:30 p.m., Mon-Valley Cloggers; 8 p.m., musical entertainment by the Crazy Cowboys.
– July 21 – 6 p.m., cruise night with displays of antique cars and motorcycles; 7 p.m., musical entertainment by the Brass Knuckles.
– July 22 – 9 a.m., firemen’s bike ride; 4 p.m., firemen’s parade; 7 p.m., musical entertainment by Punch; 10:30 p.m., fireworks display.
Fayette Amusements will provide carnival rides each night of the convention.
All events, entertainment and fireworks will be performed on South 7th Street.