Firefighters on parade
Fire departments turn out for fire prevention paradeBy JEFFREY SAULTON jsaulton@newsandsentinel.com
PARKERSBURG - About 60 trucks from area fire departments turned out Saturday for the second annual Ohio River Valley Firefighters Regional Fire Prevention Parade.
This year's parade was set to coincide with Fire Prevention Month and went from Bicentennial Park in downtown Parkersburg to Civilian Park in Belpre with lights flashing and sirens wailing as they crossed the bridge into Belpre and proceeded side by side down Washington Boulevard.
Despite the cool windy weather and cloudy skies threatening rain, people gathered to see the trucks from around the region and children, young and old, gathered candy thrown from several of the trucks.
Parkersburg Fire Chief Eric Chichester said the parade served several purposes for the departments and the public.
"We have this during Fire Prevention Month and to raise awareness," he said. "This is done to get the fire departments together. It's not every day we get to meet with other departments such as Devola or Belpre."
Chichester said the 2008 parade had 80 to 90 trucks but the number was smaller for this year, for two main reasons.
"There are training sessions taking place this week and there is also some concern over the flu," he said.
Organizing the parade was Paul Jordan, vice president of the Wood County Fire Fighters Association and a member of the Williamstown Volunteer Fire Department. Jordan said last year's parade was between Williamstown and Marietta and the plan is to have the parade alternate between locations every year.
After speaking to a gathering to explain they would be single file in Parkersburg and then they would go side by side in Belpre, Jordan told the participating firefighters to start talking to each other to get acquainted with others in the area.
Jordan said the reason the parades follow a path taking them across the river is to unite the departments.
"We want to get departments from Wood and Washington counties participating," he said. "This is a good time to get them together for a time of fellowship and camaraderie."
Jordan said once in Belpre the departments had a chance to let the public see what they do during a display at Civitan Park.
"They get the chance to let people see them in the parade and than after the parade they get a chance to bring out the equipment and show off some," he said. "The public gets a chance to see who is involved."
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EverydayJoe
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10-26-09 9:54 PM
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God bless each and every one of these firefighters and EMT's
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EverydayJoe
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10-26-09 9:53 PM
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The reasons to drive to the scene; 1) it is closer than going to the station 2) it is on the way to the station 3) they may live far from the station and usually won't make a truck before it leaves As far as "waste fuel" it could be that this parade was also intended to be used to help recruit new members. You have to get noticed somehow to bring new blood in.
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JoeBlow
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10-26-09 12:44 PM
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Throwing out candy! What about the war on obesity?
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MatthewBB
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10-26-09 12:43 PM
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keep trying hooterb311, you'll get a grasp on the English language eventually
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hooterb311
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10-25-09 7:42 PM
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thats all good. but when you dont have more than one truck rolling to a structure fire and you have 10 p.o.v,s at the scene then something is wrong...
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TheLoneRanger
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10-25-09 6:17 PM
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Alot of firefighters goes directly to the fire scene instead of going to the fire station. No I am not a volunteer,but I do have very high respect for what these guys do
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hooterb311
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10-25-09 4:23 PM
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and if your a volenteer to get reconition? then maybe you should do something else. last i heard being a volenteer was to help people not to get anything out of it but being able to help???
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hooterb311
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10-25-09 4:16 PM
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ok why would you use your own cars going to fires? does your car carry water? look i have no idea why every vol. ff. gets all bent out of shape when someone says something about stuff like this.. and how does a parade get you reconition? because a station name is on the side of the truck? are you hanging out of the truck window or something? people dont care whos in the truck... all they see is the truck... come on give me break... i for one think vol fire departments are under funded and the counties should step up and do more for them so dont go thanking im against the vol departments. but i knew saying something about the parade would get the super volenteers to open there mouths. look know one cares about a vol ff until something happens....... if your a vol ff then good keep it up.. but dont get bent out of shape because someone has a comment about little stuff like this... get over yourself
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Mac5858
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10-25-09 3:12 PM
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Hooterb, the truth is for most of the trucks in this parade, your liability as a taxpayer for fuel was zero. You should realize that unless the department is city funded your tax dollars only provide about $15,000 a year to each department. That doesn't even cover the insurance costs. Otherwise, it's fundraisers and the state fire commission, which provides funding to the FD's through license fees and insurance surcharges.
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TheLoneRanger
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10-25-09 11:37 AM
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Hoterb Nothing better to complain about this morning? What about the countless hours these volunteers put in training? What about the countless hours these volunteers put in fighting fires? What about all the fuel these firefighters use in there own vehicles going to fires and training all with no pay? Now don't they deserve a parade to be reconition? I would like to thank all the Public safety workers for all the work they do.
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hooterb311
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10-25-09 10:48 AM
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and the fire departments complain about funds and fuel prices? if thats the case why would the take trucks out of service and waste fuel for this? whats the point? waste of tax payer money if you ask me....
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TheLoneRanger
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10-25-09 9:09 AM
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I support fire fighters,but it would had been nice if the parade would had lasted longer than 4 minutes
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