Plumas County Fire Chiefs Association
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      • 2015 Frank Carey, Assistant Fire Chief Quincy FPD
      • 2016 Dony Sawchuk, Captain, Quincy FPD
      • 2017 David Schmid Quincy FPD
    • Steve Tolen Leadership in EMS Perpetual Award >
      • 2015 Peter Beck, Plumas District Hospital, retired
      • 2016 Ed Ward, Chief Graeagle FPD
      • 2017 Matt Brown & Sam Blesse, Care Flight REMSA
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      • Mike Grant Plumas County Sheriff's Office
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    • 2017 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
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​2017 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster

Photo above: Quincy's Championship team in the bucket brigade, (l-r) Assistant Chief Frank Carey, Captain David Schmid, Firefighter Dean Laroski, Firefighter Jake Hutson, Firefighter Keith Barnett. Photo by Kim Eliason, Quincy Support Team
Story originally published in Plumas News - Inside the Fire House Column
By Tom Forster
August 23, 2017

 
Quincy Wins 2017 Firefighter’s Muster at Plumas Sierra County Fair!
 
A proud team of five firefighters from the Quincy Fire Protection District won the annual Muster at the Fair, for the second year in a row. Taking first place in three of the four events, Quincy dominated the Muster, losing only in the Water Polo competition. 
 
Fire Musters in America date back to 1849, when the first one was held in Bath, Maine. They often feature events with historical equipment, but the Plumas County one was designed to allow FD’s without antique fire engines and other apparatus to join in the fun.
 
The half-day competition featured four events: 1) the Chief Jim Hamblin Bucket Brigade (named in honor of the Indian Valley Chief), 2) a race donning protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus, 3) a charged fire hose line extension nicknamed “The Human Hose Clamp,” and 4) the “Water Polo” event. While six teams were originally signed up to compete, three had to drop out due to accumulated schedule backups, following the emergency coverage for structure protection in Quincy during the Minerva Fire.
 
Thankfully, the fire was mostly contained by the day of the event, and all local government resources had been released. A last-minute call for a fourth team was met graciously by firefighters coming together from the Eastern Plumas Rural, Chester, and Quincy FD’s. Special thanks were given to this group, who did not have time to practice together given the late entry.
 
Besides Quincy and the “Hybrid All-Stars” as they came to be called, the other teams were from the Portola FD, and a joint team from Graeagle and Plumas Eureka FD’s. With Quincy coming in first place overall, there was a tie for second place between the Portola and Graeagle/Plumas Eureka teams, and the hybrid team came in 3rd place.
 
Volunteer Master of Ceremonies Mike Williams, an appointed member of the California State Board of Fire Services, traveled up from Santa Barbara County for the weekend, bringing his own amplified sound system for the Muster. Mike also serves as the Executive Director of the Fire Services Training Institute (FSTI), a non-profit that supports the volunteer fire service. Joining him was retired California State Fire Marshal Ronny J. Coleman, who served as the historian to help explain the background of the events to the spectators. Coleman, a fire service legend who has authored 18 fire service books among many other accomplishments, serves as the Chairman of the National Fire Heritage Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The non-profit NFHC is working to preserve and document fire service history.
 
Williams commented on what he thought was “… the fantastic sportsmanship and comradery between the teams. It was a terrific experience for all involved. Memories of the days of the historical American colonial fire service came alive at the Muster, with a competition that the spectators, including many children, really seemed to enjoy. I had a great time.”
 
Coleman enjoyed yet another Muster, one of hundreds he has been to over his more than sixty years in the fire service. “I love coming up to Plumas County, and really had a lot of fun. Plumas County should be very proud of their firefighters,” he said, “I hope to make it back next year.”
 
Special recognition from the muster organizers were given to Denise and John Steffanic, who donated the muster t-shirts for the competitors and all awards, through their Portola-based business Sierra Promotions. Special thanks were also given to Richard Stockton of State Farm Insurance in Quincy, Kirk and Dana Lambert of Lambert & Lambert Insurance in Portola, and Tom Goss of Farmers Insurance in Quincy for their generous sponsorship of the muster.

The Official Results

1) The Chief Jim Hamblin Bucket Brigade
First Place: Quincy, 1:35
Second Place: Portola, 1:50
Third Place: Graeagle/Plumas Eureka 1:55
Fourth Place: Chester/Eastern Plumas Rural/Quincy Hybrid 2:05

​2) The Personal Protective Clothing & Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Donning Race

First Place: Quincy, total time of team members = 7:18
Second Place: Chester/Eastern Plumas Rural/Quincy Hybrid, total time of team members = 8:26
Third Place: Graeagle/Plumas Eureka, total time of team members = 9:10
Fourth Place: Portola, total time of team members = 9:30

Note: Fastest individual time was Dean Laroski, Quincy, 1:01


3) The Human Hose Clamp, Charged 2.5" Hose Line Extension
First Place: Quincy, 1:31
Second Place: Chester/Eastern Plumas Rural/Quincy Hybrid, 1:44
Third Place: Graeagle/Plumas Eureka, total time of team members = 1:50
Fourth Place: Portola, total time of team members = 2:09


4) Water Polo

First round eliminations
Portola vs. Chester/Eastern Plumas Rural/Quincy: winner Portola
Quincy vs. Graeagle/Plumas Eureka: winner Graeagle Plumas Eureka

Second Round for 3rd Place
Quincy vs. Chester/Eastern Plumas Rural: winner Quincy

Third Round for Championship

Portola vs. Graeagle/Plumas Eureka: winner and Champion Portola

**Final Rankings of 2017 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster**

First Place: Quincy FPD
​Tie for Second Place: Portola FD, and Graeagle/Plumas Eureka Joint Team
Third Place: Chester FD/Eastern Plumas RuralFPD/Quincy FPD Hybrid All-Stars

Photographs

Our thanks for the photography below go to Kim Eliason, Quincy Fire Protection District Support Team, and Maureen Forster, Plumas Eureka and Graeagle FD's Photographer.
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  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Fire Departments
    • Beckwourth FPD
    • Bucks Lake FD
    • Chester FD
    • Crescent Mills Fire Protection District
    • Eastern Plumas Rural FPD (& C Road)
    • Graeagle FPD
    • Greenhorn Creek FD
    • Hamilton Branch Fire Protection District
    • Indian Valley FD
    • La Porte FPD
    • Long Valley VFD
    • Meadow Valley FPD
    • Peninsula Fire Protection District
    • Plumas County OES
    • Plumas Eureka FD
    • Portola FD
    • Quincy FPD
    • Sierra Valley FPD
    • U.S. Forest Service, Plumas NF
    • West Almanor FPD (& Prattville)
  • Members Only Section
  • Awards & Recognition
    • Chief Robbie Cassou Instructor of the Year Award >
      • 2012 Tom Forster, Asst. Chief Plumas Eureka FD
      • 2013 John Gay, Captain Quincy FPD
      • 2014 Ed Ward, Chief Graeagle FPD
      • 2015 Frank Carey, Assistant Fire Chief Quincy FPD
      • 2016 Dony Sawchuk, Captain, Quincy FPD
      • 2017 David Schmid Quincy FPD
    • Steve Tolen Leadership in EMS Perpetual Award >
      • 2015 Peter Beck, Plumas District Hospital, retired
      • 2016 Ed Ward, Chief Graeagle FPD
      • 2017 Matt Brown & Sam Blesse, Care Flight REMSA
    • Chief Ronny J. Coleman, Honorary Member PCFCA
    • Recognition of Retiring Fire Chiefs
    • Special Recognition >
      • Mike Grant Plumas County Sheriff's Office
  • Inside the Fire House
    • An Introduction to Fire Departments
    • Why do Fire Departments provide Emergency Medical Services?
    • How Good is your Fire Department? A review of Rating Systems
    • What is the Plumas County Fire Chiefs Association?
    • Helping Each Other - what is Mutual or Automatic Aid between FD's?
    • The Little Dispatch That Could - Plumas County Sheriff's Office Dispatch
    • What's Required to Drive Fire Engines Legally and Safely
    • On Obtaining Newer Fire Engines
    • Recognizing Great Service!
    • What is a Firefighters Muster?
  • Biographies
  • Emergency Medical Care Committee
  • Firewise Communities
  • Former Fire Departments
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Group Calendar
  • Join Us - We are Recruiting!
  • Major Fires & Incidents
    • 2013 Pizza Factory Fire, Quincy CA
    • 2015 Ponderosa Bowling Alley, Portola CA
    • 2017 Minerva 5 Incident, Quincy
  • Memorials
    • Chief Tom Forster, Plumas Eureka FD
    • Chief Andy Anderson, Quincy FD
    • Richard Bruce "Dick" "Specs" Matheny, USFS
    • Sparky Cassou, Quincy FPD
    • William "Bill" Floyd Hopman Quincy FPD
    • Steve Tolen, Quincy FPD, PDH, EMCC
  • Partner Law and Related Agencies
    • Plumas County Sheriff's Office
  • Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
    • 2016 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
    • 2017 Plumas Sierra County Fair Firefighters Muster
  • Quincy Fire Academy
  • The Quincy FPD Support Team
  • Regional Training
    • Fire Apparatus Driver/Operator 1A CFSTES
    • Emergency Medical Technician - 1
    • FSTEP Auto Extrication
    • Live Fire Training
  • Related Links