Henry Raymond
Fairfax News => Current News & Events => Topic started by: Henry on August 11, 2008, 07:57:05 AM
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Mike Cain had the results on his web site, however, we do have 3 Fairfax men on the St. Albans Fire Department and do work with Cambridge quite often, so thought I would post this article from The Rutland Herald:
Article published Aug 10, 2008
Firefighters converge on Rutland
By Josh O'Gorman Staff Writer
For firefighters around the state, it was a busman's holiday: This weekend they worked as hard competing against one another in timed exercises as they do on the job – only they had a lot more fun doing it.
Fourteen men's teams from Addison, Bennington, Cambridge, City of St. Albans, Clarendon, Fairfax, Marshfield, Middlebury, Rutland Town, Shrewsbury, St. Albans Town, Underhill-Jericho and Vergennes competed in six timed events.
"It's to build teamwork," said Terry Farr, a member of the Bristol Fore Department and co-chair of the VSFA Sports Committee. "These people work so hard during the year, so this is a great chance for them to have fun."
Firefighters from about 40 departments converged on Rutland for the 119th Annual Meeting and Conference of the Vermont State Firefighters Association, said Rutland City Fire Chief Robert Schlachter. Schlachter also serves as president of the Rutland County Fire Mutual Aid Association, which sponsored this year's conference.
"I think it's great that we can have a few hundred people come down and give a boost to the local economy, and people can come out and see what we do," Schlachter said.
During the annual meeting at the Holiday Inn, Josh Terenzini, a Rutland Town selectman who serves as clerk for the town's fire department gave a welcome address.
"We don't serve our communities through the fire service because it makes us look good. ... We do this job because we want to help and enjoy the feeling of satisfaction after we make a difference in other peoples lives," he said.
In the afternoon, sporting events testing fire skills, agility and accuracy kicked off at the Diamond Run Mall.
During the midnight drill, teams lay on the ground in stocking feet as if asleep, and then they had to put on their gear, hook up a hose and use the water to knock down a target as quickly as possible.
Firefighters also raced to see how fast they could hook up a pump to a standing tank of water and again use the hose to knock down a target.
There was also, naturally a bucket brigade. Firefighters lined up and passed buckets of water up a ladder to a teammate standing on a platform 10-feet 2-inches off the ground, who then filled a 55-gallon barrel until it was full.
In the self-contained breathing apparatus endurance challenge, competitors donned air tanks then knocked over a target with a hose, located a victim and dragged him back to safety.
"This challenges a firefighter's physical fitness, as well as his skills," Farr said.
By far the most exciting competition was water polo, in which two teams squared off and tried to drive a soccer ball into the other team's end zone by spraying it with a hose.
Three lady's auxiliary teams from Cambridge, Rutland Town and St. Albans Town competed in all events save water polo and the SCBA endurance events.
"It's not a gender issue, it's a training issue," Farr said. "They haven't had the training."
It was a special day for Rutland Town Ladies Axillary's team, said Lt. Mike Carson with Rutland Town Fire Department.
"This is the fist time they've had a team in a long time and they're pretty excited," Carson said.
After lugging countless buckets of water up a ladder for the bucket brigade contest, team captain Teri Stanley was happy with her team's performance.
"We've been practicing for about two weeks, and we feel pretty good about (our time)," Stanley said.
While teams competed for trophies and glory, vendors plied their wares inside the mall and in the parking lot. A retail space was transformed for the weekend, allowing vendors to sell boots badges, backboards and other items used by fire departments.
Outside in the parking lot, Dick Shakerley, from Clifton Park, N.Y., guided prospective buyers through the features of a new Toyne fire truck, with a price tag of $340,000.
"It's a flat business because there aren't any new fire departments," Shakerley said, noting that most of the price is due to the fact that each truck is hand-built to meet the dimensions of individual firehouses in the northeast.
By 4:30 p.m., the last of the competitive events had drawn to a close. For the second year in a row, Shrewsbury won the water polo, defeating Underhill-Jericho 16-9. Shrewsbury also took first in the bucket brigade, while Underhill-Jericho took come consolation is placing first in the wet hose contest.
St. Albans Town took first place in the portable pump and midnight alarm contests while Fairfax finished first in the SCBA endurance challenge.
On the women's side, St. Albans Town did best overall, but Rutland Town did take first place in the portable pump contest. At the awards ceremony, St. Albans Town received a trophy for finishing first overall, while Underhill-Jericho and Shrewsbury finished second and third place respectively.
Both the men's and women's teams from Cambridge won the good sportsmanship awards, handed out during the evening ceremony.
The muster games competitors were not the only ones honored Saturday night. U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., honored Ralph Jackman for his 54 years of service as Vergennes' fire chief.
Sanders read a statement he submitted to the Congressional Record.
"Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to bring to the attention of the nation, and my colleagues in this body, the remarkable career of Ralph Jackman of Vergennes, Vermont, who has served that small city as its Volunteer Fire Chief for the past 54 years," Sanders read. "While it is difficult to confirm this fact definitively, it is my understanding that Ralph Jackman is the longest serving fire chief in the history of this country."
Jackman, who was hospitalized this past week, was not present, but his five daughters accepted an award on his behalf.
"Jackman epitomizes what community service is all about," Sanders said.
Contact Josh O'Gorman at josh.ogorman@rutlandherald.com.