State Fire Chiefs Dig Atlantic Beach Club for New Annual Clambake

Who says fire and water don't mix? In Middletown, it certainly happened Thursday, when the Atlantic Beach Club officially claimed its role as new host site for the Rhode Island Association of Fire Chiefs Annual Clambake, an event previously held on Block Island every year for as long as anyone could remember.

"This is our first time here and it won't be our last," said Association President and Providence Fire Department Chief George Farrell, looking very relaxed in khaki shorts and polo shirt. "We love it here. I even came down last night to have more time to enjoy this amazing beach and other parts of Newport." 

Outside the popular tourism hot spot, the Atlantic Beach Club lot was bumper-to-bumper with red and black SUVs bearing gold-lettered doors from municipalities all over Rhode Island and neighboring Massachusetts. On the pavilion's outer deck overlooking Atlantic and Easton's beaches, a crowd of about 150, mostly fire chiefs and their families, gathered under picture-perfect skies for the leisurely day-long clambake that started with chowder and clam cakes and would later build up to steaks and lobster.

The three fire chiefs from Middletown, Portsmouth and Newport had proposed Atlantic Beach Club for the venue and the other fire chiefs immediately embraced the idea, said Farrell. "It was an easy decision," he said. "We voted unanimously and here we are, everyone enjoying this wonderful location. "

"It's great for the three departments and for the Atlantic Beach Club, and we certainly don't have to drive far," agreed Middletown Fire Chief Ronald Doire and Portsmouth Chief Jeff Lynch.

While Block Island certainly left the fire chiefs with many years of fond memories, the new Middletown location for this and years to come offers greater accessibility and affordability, explained Farrell. Block Island involved long and expensive ferry rides and higher priced hotels, but Aquidneck Island travel provides easy bridge access, reasonable seasonal hotel rates, and convenient area trolleys to enjoy Newport County, he noted.

Also joining the chiefs for the day's festivities, were deputy chiefs as well as technicians and salespersons who sell firefighting apparatus and safety equipment. Regular meetings and annual events like the clambake are important for the chiefs, Farrell explained, because of how necessary it's become for fire departments in neighboring towns to share resources, standardize training standards and firefighting practices, and generally be able to jump in to assist each others' communities at a moment's notice.

"The natural camaraderie among fire chiefs and fire fighters means that we tend to talk about business, strategies, safety, training, you name it, whenever we get together," said Farrell. "Even on days like today, here with this beautiful setting, we can't help but share these things. Most of us would tell you this is more than a job, it's a calling."