The West Hempstead Westerners, a drill team consisting of volunteers with the West Hempstead Fire Department, celebrated a successful competition season this summer. They have continuously placed among the top five teams competing in seven events this season.
Drill team racing consists of a group of volunteer firefighters who compete in athletic events that demonstrate essential fire fighting skills. These competitions began in New York in the late 1800s as a way to promote camaraderie between departments and grow the volunteer base. While practiced in other states and regions, Long Island is a central hub for firematic racing.
“The benefit of this is recruitment,” Daniel Brohm, Westerners drill team captain and first lieutenant of the WHFD, said. “It’s a really big recruitment tool. Young kids see us online and they develop an interest in the fire service and they want to be involved.”
“On top of that, we develop relationships with other departments in the surrounding areas,” he continued. “Because we’re competing against each other, we hang out and develop friendships. So not only are we building camaraderie and teamwork within our own department, but other departments.”
Each competition includes eight events that help firefighters hone their fire fighting skills. Events include hose competitions, ladder competitions and the bucket brigade, in which race to pass buckets filled with water up a ladder to fill a 55 gallon drum.
During each event teams compete for points, which are added up at the end of the competition. The team with the most points wins the overall competition.
“We’re fortunate enough to have a department that is very supportive of our drill team,” Brohm, 24, said. He estimates that half the department is involved with the drill team.
“We take a lot of pride in having a lot of young guys on our team,” Joseph Marturano, Westerners drill team captain and second lieutenant of the WHFD, said. “We had a more senior team before, that had so much success.”
Recently, the Westerners placed fourth overall at the New York State Championship. This was the team’s first time placing in the top five at that competition since 2017.
For the Westerners, training begins in May and ends on Labor Day, when the team competes in their final competition of the season. Practices are Monday and Wednesday, and any member of the WHFD is welcome to get involved.
In July the Westerners took first place at the Nassau County Drill and they are currently leading in overall points among the Nassau County teams. If their lead continues, the Westerners will be Nassau County Total Point Champions for the second year in a row.
“What we’ve done, taking top five in all the tournaments throughout this year, it’s very impressive” Marturano, 26, said. “We’re just looking to build on that and continue to grow.”
The Westerners will host their final competition of the season, the West Hempstead Labor Day Drill. The competition will begin at 10 a.m. at the Chief Brian D. Fahey Training Center in Hempstead.
To participate on the drill team, you must be a member of the West Hempstead Fire Department. You can visit the department Monday through Friday to receive an application to join the fire department. If you have any questions, call (516) 486-8846 or email info@westhempsteadfd.org.
