Cornwall Fire Department marched away with two trophies following the annual Orange County Volunteer Firemen’s Association parade held in Highland Mills last month.
Highland Engine Co. #1 took first place, for marching, in Class B (13 to 20 firefighters in the line of march) and Mountainville Engine Co. #3 took second place in Class C (5 to 12 in the line of march).
“I think it’s great,” Cornwall Fire Department Chief Pat Hines said of the trophies. “It brings the firefighters together as they prepare. They spend days before cleaning the apparatus and equipment.”
Hines said the firefighters don’t necessarily practice marching before the big parade, although some of the new volunteers will go over procedures. Much of the practice comes from marching in other parades throughout the year, starting with the Memorial Day parade in Cornwall.
During the parade, marchers were judged, by an impartial panel from the Westchester County Judges Association, on a number of details including presence of a color guard, matching uniforms, spacing of the volunteers, and whether they marched in step.
Demerits are issued if colors are out of place or not guarded, marchers are out of line and not in step, if volunteers do not have identical uniforms, improper arrangement of insignia, and if volunteers are talking, waving, laughing, smoking, or chewing gum.
The parade participants may be competitive, Hines said, but its a good social event to see members of other departments in a non-emergency situation.
“It’s a good way to build camaraderie among the members and various departments in the county.”
