Photo from August 1979 – the Spencerport Red Onions Drill Team competing at Spencer Speedway in the three man Ladder drill. Shown (l to r) Greg Harmer, Dave Spencer, Steve Brown. The New York State Old Fashioned Drill Team Competition will be held in Spencerport on Saturday, August 10. This is the first time the competition has been held in any place other than on Long Island.
Fire departments from across the state will make the trip to Western New York for a day filled with foot races, ladder climbing and water bucket proficiency. This event begins at noon and is sanctioned by the New York State Volunteer Firemen’s Parade and Drill Team Captains Association, Inc. and is hosted by the Spencerport Volunteer Firemen’s Association and Spencerport Fire District.
Each day, the familiar sound of a fire whistle accompanied by the blast of a horn and the scream of a siren echoes across towns, villages and cities, big and small, throughout New York State. Men and women rush towards danger, their only objectives: save lives and property.
Ever since the 18th century when the first New York fire brigades were put into service, firefighters have held a long-standing tradition of quickly responding to emergencies. Many of the qualities that early firefighters possessed – speed, strength, fearlessness and competitiveness – are still hallmarks possessed by today’s 21st century firefighters.
On New York’s Long Island, firefighters from different fire departments began competing with one another to find out who were the fastest in; putting out a fire with a fire hose, climbing a ladder, and who was the speediest filling buckets and dousing out a fire. The birth of firematic (drill team) tournament competition had begun. For over 200 years, these competitions have become a sport and tradition amongst firefighters across New York State.
Spectators are welcome to watch teams from across the state compete to see who is faster at the Spencerport DPW site located at the end of West Avenue in Spencerport village. There is a $5 admission charge for adults, children under 12 are free. Food and beverages available all day.
For more information on the 2013 Old Fashioned Drill, visit www.spencerportfire.org or www.nysdrillteams.com.
