East Granby, Lost Acres Fire Departments Volunteer to Help Fellow Firefighters

Firefighters from three towns joined South Windsor for a good old fashioned firefighter muster Saturday afternoon. The event, which included tests of strength and skill, was also a fun way to celebrate both the South Windsor Volunteer Fire Department's 75th anniversary and the brotherhood of firefighters. 

Teams from Broad Brook, Coventry, Rocky Hill and South Windsor competed in the add a length, hose bed, hose ball, ladder climb, midnight alarm and bucket brigade. South Windsor took the honors in four of the six events.

In addition to the four departments participating, fellow firefighters from all over the area came to serve as judges for the event, many from East Granby and Lost Acres. 

South Windsor Deputy Chief Tommy Bengston summed up the essence of firefighting as being there - for other firefighters and for anyone in need.

"Firefighting is a brotherhood... They called one person and said South Windsor is having a muster, we need judges. And [the volunteer judges] said, 'It's a firefighter event, we'll do it... they didn't get paid... they just came down here to have fun and help the fire department," Bengston said.

"We do that every time the tones go off. It doesn't matter who has the fire, who has the emergency. You call, we go. It could be a local town, it could be 100 miles away we run to the fire department and just go."