Bellmore-Merrick fire departments compete in drill competition

The North Bellmore Fire Department hosted a fire drill team competition at the Four Towns Fireman Training Facility in Merrick on June 8.

For over 100 years, fire departments throughout New York State have gathered for this competition, featuring events that measure each teams’ ability to efficiently execute fire drill procedures. These competitions provide fire departments an opportunity to pursue expertise in fundamental firefighting skills and foster teamwork among colleagues.

At the June 8 competition, various fire departments from across New York State were once again put to the test. The teams that participated were the North Bellmore Rinky Dinks, Hicksville Hicks, West Hempstead Westerners, North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers, Baldwin Tomcats, Islip Wolves, Bellmore Ballbreakers, Hagerman Gamblers, Carle Place Frogs, Westbury Turtles, Oyster Bay Teddy`s Boys, North Merrick Stump Jumpers, South Hempstead Rascals, West Sayville Flying Dutchmen, and Copiague Yellowbirds.

For each event, the teams were assessed on their speed in accomplishing the given tasks successfully and were awarded with points based on their performance. The competition began with the Three Man Ladder event, in which two team members were tasked to securely position a ladder in order for three other members to quickly climb the ladder and reach the top. The ladder events that followed, “B Ladder” and “C Ladder,” tested the same procedure, but incorporated the use of two different vehicles.

Teams were then evaluated on their ability to properly operate a hose, the primary tool used to extinguish fire and control its spread. Similar to the previous ladder-based events, the hose-based events included one by foot, called “Efficiency,” and two using the same vehicles as before, called “B Hose” and “C Hose.” For each of these events, the teams were tasked to connect one end of the hose to a fire hydrant, stretch it to its fullest extent, then release water to strike a target. The subsequent Motor Pump event followed nearly the same procedure, but used a motor pump, which expels water at a greater pressure and distance.

The final event was the Buckets event, which tasked each team to carry buckets filled with water to the top of a ladder, empty them, toss them back to someone on the ground, and repeat this until every bucket was empty.

Once every event had concluded, the points were tallied up, and the five highest-scoring teams were announced. The South Hempstead Rascals came in fifth place, the Hagerman Gamblers came in fourth place, the North Bellmore Rinky Dinks came in third place, the North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers came in second place, and the West Sayville Flying Duchmen emerged victorious with first place.

This competition showcased New York State Fire Departments’ unwavering dedication to serving the community and extraordinary commitment to ensuring their preparedness for emergencies.