Organizers of Chatham-Kent’s FireFest have unveiled big plans for the 2014 edition of the event.
Billed as Canada’s largest display of antique fire trucks and emergency vehicles, the third annual FireFest is set for Sept. 19 and 20 in downtown Chatham.
Two of the organizers, Brent DeNure and Keith Chinnery, announced the expanded line-up Thursday during a news conference at the Chatham-Kent Fire Station No. 1.
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For 2014, they have added the FireFest Combat Challenge, a spectator event that will feature firefighters competing in five events.
“We see this as bringing in teams from across North America, probably 10 to12 teams, that will compete in an incredibly demanding course, requiring different skills and feats that firefighters have to encounter on the job,” said DeNure. “It’s a big win for Chatham-Kent for us being able to host this event.”
The equipment and infrastructure needed for the course is provided by On Target Challenge, a group that stages approximately 25 of these competitions every year.
“The firefighters who are competing are doing it seriously,” said Chinnery. “They’re trying to best their times and are trying to get to the world finals, which are happening in Phoenix in November. That’s what makes it so much fun, from a spectator standpoint.”
The combat challenge is sponsored by TekSavvy and Union Gas, a new partner for FireFest.
Andrea Seguin, Union Gas district manager for Chatham-Kent and Windsor, was on hand to present a donation of $4,500.
“I am very pleased to show our continued support for firefighters in Chatham-Kent in their efforts to promote fire safety through the FireFest event,” said Seguin. “FireFest and the combat challenge are a fun and entertaining way to bring safety to the forefront.”
Getting the word out early so potential competitors could plan ahead for the challenge was the main reason for announcing the event details in April.
Subject to official confirmation, the course will be set up at the south end of Fourth Street, between King and Wellington streets.
FireFest was originally organized by Chinnery, DeNure and Wes Thompson, who have attended several antique fire truck shows in Ontario and Michigan.
According to Chinnery, they thought it would be a cool idea to try and organize a show for Chatham-Kent.
In its first year, the event attracted 40 vehicles. More than 60 vehicles from Michigan, Ohio and across Ontario were on hand last year.
Because the event is free and there is no gate, Chinnery said it’s difficult to say how many people attended last year, but he estimates the number at around 6,000.
“In year one, we honestly didn’t know what to expect,” said Chinnery about the rapid growth of the event. “We knew that some of the people in our core group of friends had a certain number of trucks and that we would have a few trucks on display. But it’s a very tight-knit community amongst the truck holders, so word started to spread that this event was happening in Chatham, and registrations just exploded.”
This year, the number could grow to as many as 80 vehicles.
King Street, from Second Street to Fifth, will be closed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 20 to allow people to enjoy the vintage vehicles.
Thanks to a number of corporate sponsors, FireFest and the combat challenge will be free.
Other events include safety displays, rides in an Entegrus bucket truck and a parade.
FireFest officially starts on Sept.19 with an event called “Firehouse Chat; A Night of Fire Insight from Three Dynamic Personalities,” at the St. Clair College Capitol Theatre at 8 p.m.
One of the personalities is actor Randolph Mantooth, best known for his role as paramedic Johnny Gage on the TV series Emergency.
He will be joined by Tim Cheveldae, a retired NHL goalie, who is now a firefighter with Canada’s Dept. of National Defense in Dundurn, Sask.
Rounding out the panel will be Brendan ‘Doogie’ Milewski, who appeared last year as part of the screenings of the documentary ‘Burn.’
The film traced a year of struggles faced by the Detroit Fire Department.
Milewski, whose career came to an end while fighting a fire in 2010, is now a fire service advocate.
The three will share their life stories and experiences in a casual, on-stage setting.
Reserved seat tickets for the event at the Capitol are $20 (plus a handling fee) and are now on sale at the Chatham Cultural box office; by phone at 519-354-8338 or 1-866-807-7770; and online at www.stclaircollegecapitoltheatre.com.
More information about FireFest Chatham-Kent is available at www.firefest.ca and at www.facebook.com/ckfirefest.
