Quakertown Fire Co. No. 1

Quakertown Fire Department hosted the traditional Water Battles at Quakertown Borough’s annual Community Day, held in Memorial Park on July 4th.

The Water Battles are a series of competitions between local fire companies in which teams of four firefighters from each company compete to push the rocket – a sliding target suspended on a wire between two telephone poles – to the opposing team’s telephone pole. The team that hits the opposite pole with the target wins the round. Rounds are 90 seconds long; if neither team can hit the opposing pole within those 90 seconds, the round is awarded to the team whose side the rocket is not on.

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The companies that participated were Quakertown Fire Company No. 1, West End Fire Company No. 2 of Quakertown, Richlandtown Fire Company, Haycock Fire Company, Trumbauersville Fire Company, Milford Fire Company, Richland Township Fire and Rescue, and Coopersburg Fire Company.

Three teams of junior firefighters competed against each other as well.  The teams were from Quakertown Fire Company No. 1, West End Fire Company No. 2, and Trumbauersville Fire Company.

Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 took second place in the senior competition, with West End Fire Company taking first place.  Quakertown Fire Company No. 1 took first place in the junior competition, with West End taking second place.

On Saturday, May 31st, 2008, Engine 17-1, Chemical 17, and Hazmat 17 traveled to Kutztown for a parade held in celebration of the Borough of Kutztown’s 100th anniversary as well as the recent expansion of Kutztown Fire Company’s station and the housing of three of their trucks.

Chemical 17, a 1979 Mack/Swab rescue body, won a second place trophy for “Most Functional Squad/Special Service,” competing against trucks of all ages. Members worked hard to clean the trucks for the parade. Mark Simon, who drove Chemical 17 in the parade, worked especially hard to get it into top shape.

Members who cleaned the trucks and attended the parade were David Reinhart, Linda Reinhart, Collin Reinhart, Mark Simon, Celeste Graziano, Mike Graziano, Chris Erwin, Vince Sakaitis, Brian Kershes, and past Chief Ray Stever, Sr. Several additional members assisted with preparing the trucks but were unable to attend the parade.