From the earliest days
to the modern era, volunteer firefighters have always placed the lives
of their neighbors and the well being of their community above their
own, continually striving to find faster and better ways to reach and
extinguish any threat of fire. For
them, doing so is a source of honor and pride, and from the first day
the second fire truck came to town firemen have been competing with
each other for that honor – both on and off duty. In New York State,
these friendly firematic contests between “drill teams” of volunteer
firefighters have reached a level of competition that is unique in the
entire world; there is nowhere else in terms of speed, technique or
sophistication
that even comes close.
Chariots of Firefighters chronicles
the birth and rise of these contests, from foot races and fistfights
between neighboring fire companies in New York City to the formation of
the New York State Volunteer
Firemen’s Parade and Drill Team Captain’s Association and the over 350
teams from over 260 fire districts that make up its 200-year history.
From simple hand-pumping duels to modern-day drills of speed and
refined technique on specially-built tracks with custom apparatus, the
story of how these competitions evolved – through wars, riots and
celebrations, public scorn and the wild praise of cheering throngs – is
one that anyone with any interest in the fire service – or even sports
in general – will want to read.
To visit a dedicated website that explains more about the book, including sample pages from each chapter, follow this link:
http://cof.911pictures.com
To see a selection of the author's photographs from the modern-day sport of firematic drill team racing, follow this link:
