Battle of the Barrel highlights Western PA Fireman's Association annual convention in Arnold

There is no doubt that a firefighter’s duties are stressful. Whether they’re professionals or volunteers, they’re often confronted with dangerous situations.

As firefighters from across Western Pennsylvania gathered in Arnold this weekend for the 130th Western Pennsylvania Fireman’s Association’s annual convention, they made sure to have a little fun while they were conducting business.

One of the convention’s coolest events, literally — and certainly the wettest — took place Saturday morning.

The Battle of the Barrel was held in front of Roosevelt Park. The 1800 block of Constitution Boulevard was closed to traffic as the event got underway shortly after 9 a.m.

It’s a traditional firefighters competition akin to a tug of war. Two teams lined up in the street 100 feet apart from one another and aimed fire hoses at an empty beer keg hung from a cable halfway between them. The object was to use the fire hose’s stream of water to push the keg to the opponents’ end of the street.

In years past, as many as 25 teams have taken part in the competition. But, in a reflection of the current state of the dwindling ranks of volunteer firefighters, there were only enough competitors to field three teams; Vandergrift No. 1, Dunbar, and an all-female team made up of junior firefighters from New Kensington.

To be sure, bragging rights were at stake, according to Dunbar firefighter P.J. Fitzgerald. But the event was more about camaraderie, he said.

“It’s nice to see guys you haven’t seen in years,” Fitzgerald said. “You put in a lot of hard work, but this is a time to enjoy each other’s company. Everybody’s fighting something, but it’s nice to enjoy each other once in a while. This event is like going on a vacation with your family.”

Arnold last hosted the convention in 2019. Retired Arnold firefighter Wayne Harris, a 52-year veteran, was excited to have the convention back in town.

“It’s a great event. I just think this brings a lot of people into our city,” Harris said. “It brings in some money so we can buy some equipment and things like that.”

Harris added that events like this help drum up enthusiasm among young people who might be considering becoming volunteer firefighters.

“We try to bring in members because we’re hurting for volunteer firemen,” Harris said. “People can come and see what we do, and maybe they’ll join the fire company, which would be fantastic.”

It was last year that Donald Ferrante, president of Arnold No. 2, was elected association president. He said this event is largely about providing some much needed rest and recreation for firefighters.

“This is an opportunity for socializing, just have fun and relax. Step away from the job, still do a little bit of firefighting stuff, but have fun,” Ferrante said.

Ferrante said the job requires more than most people realize.

“I think they appreciate us. They just don’t realize everything we do. The hours involved with training, with fundraising,” Ferrante said. “Firefighting requires hundreds of hours of training time. There’s a lot of stuff going on.

“It ain’t all just jumping into a big red shiny truck and driving down the street and going to a call,” Ferrante said. “Not every call is fighting a blazing fire. You have ambulance assist to help somebody that just fell out of bed, traffic control. They only see us on their worst day.”

Ferrante built a 38-year career out of firefighting, including 35 years as an industrial firefighter for Alcoa and three years as a subcontractor for RMI.

Others, like junior firefighter Emma Shirey, 14, New Kensington, plan to combine other careers with volunteer firefighting.

“My dad is a firefighter and so was my grandfather (both named George) so I want to keep the legacy going,” Shirey said. “I feel happiness helping people. My dad’s done it, so I don’t have fear. I will continue doing this.”

The convention runs until Monday. Members who died over the past year will be honored during a memorial service at 2 p.m. Sunday in Calvary Lutheran Church.