Long Island fire department drill teams compete

Sixteen of the top fire department drill teams in the state gathered at Chief Brian D. Fahey Fire Training School in Hempstead on July 3 for the chance to compete in the 21st annual Joe Hunter Memorial Tournament.

Hunter was one of many FDNY first responders, who selflessly sacrificed his life to try and save others during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. He is remembered for his years of service as a volunteer member of the South Hempstead Fire Department and FDNY squad no. 288.

As a tribute to his life of service, Matthew Spinelli, one of his close childhood friends and a colleague with the South Hempstead Fire Department, has continued to help organize the drill competition with the help of the Hunter family since 2003.

In addition to testing the dexterity, skill and discipline of local volunteer fire departments, the tournament helps raise money for two scholarships in Hunter’s name — including one at South Side High School in Rockville Centre, where he graduated in 1987, and one at Hofstra University, where he received his bachelor’s in business management in 1994.

Spinelli said that this year’s competition raised a record-high of nearly $20,000 through application fees, donations and merchandise. A portion of the proceeds will also be donated to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity which helps support our nation’s heroes and their families. Through the years, the foundation has helped provide more than 1,200 mortgage-free smart homes to veterans, gold-star families and first responders. Additional funding is also given to specific families in need who are connected to fire departments on Long Island and New York City.

Spinelli said that he met Hunter when he first moved to South Hempstead when he was only nine, and they quickly became close friends.

“We basically became part of each other’s families,” Spinelli said. “He was just a great fireman, a good athlete and one of the best hydrant men in the drill team competitions. He was an outstanding guy. We miss him every day, and that’s why we keep this thing alive every year, to keep his name alive.”

He strongly believed that Hunter was on a path to becoming either the chief of the South Hempstead Fire Department, a battalion chief or a high-ranking member of the FDNY. Spinelli also quipped that there was a good chance that Hunter would have gotten married and had a family if given the chances since “girls were always chasing after Joe.”

The tournament has become one of the more selective and elite drill competitions in the state. Only the top teams in the New York State Championship competition are invited to attend.

The competition is broken up into eight different skill-based events, which include three-man ladder, B ladder, C ladder, B hose, C hose, efficiency, motor pump and buckets. The scores in each race are then tallied and combined to determine the winning fire department.

This year’s competition was extremely close, but it was the Islip Wolves who finished in first place with a total of 23 points. Trailing just one point behind, the West Hempstead Westerners and the Central Islip Hoboes tied for second place.

Also participating in this year’s tournament were the Westbury Turtles, the Port Washington Road Runners, the Lindenhurst Snails, the Copiague Yellowbirds, the Bay Shore Redskins, the North Lindenhurst Piston Knockers, the Miller Place Extinguishers, the Hagerman Gamblers, and the hosting South Hempstead Rascals, which includes members of the Rockville Centre Fire Department. 

Spinelli said this year’s competition was one of the best to date, which he credited to the good weather forecast, scheduling close to Independence Day and the full crowd of spectators.

The upcoming New York State Championship Drill will be hosted in Central Islip on August 17, which will determine the lineup for the 2025 Joe Hunter Memorial Drill.