‘Experience Trumps Youth at Central NY Hose Race’

The firematic hose races at the 125th Annual Central New York Firemen’s Association (CNYFA) convention held in Hammondsport, N.Y. on July 14 proved you don’t necessarily have to be the fastest on foot to win the races and that experience counts.  

With 14 overall points, the “senior” Owego Hose Team #2 knocked off both the younger Owego #1 team and Hammondsport Fire Department. Forty year All American Hose Racer Louie Striley led the Owego #2 team to victory.  

Striley’s Owego #2 team placed first in both the Ladder and Wye races, with a second place finish in the Straight Lay Race. The Owego #1 team placed first in the Straight Lay, second in the Ladder, and third in the Wye race.  

Hammondsport, running after a four-year absence from firematics, took one second and two third place finishes with a total of 10 points. Winning Owego Team #2 members included Striley, with hose team veterans Tom Donovan Jr., Joe Ward and cousins Kevin and Tommy Ferguson.   

The races are timed events where firefighters test their skills. Teams of five members must connect nozzles to hoses, hoses to hoses, and hoses to the fire hydrant, and knock down targets in the quickest time in the ladder, wye, and straight lay competitions. Hose races improve basic firefighting skills. 

CNYFA was founded by Owego’s own Frank M. Baker a former Owego Fire Chief. Baker also was a prominent member of the Fireman’s Association of New York (FASNY) and served in the Owego Fire Department with his son George Hobart Baker, who tragically died in an automobile accident in 1913.  

The Baker Fireman’s Fountain is dedicated in his memory. Next year’s convention and hose races will be held in Homer, New York. 

Race Results Overall Points: 1st Place Overall – Owego Hose Teams, Inc. Team #2 – 14 Points; 2nd Place Overall – Owego Hose Teams, Inc. Team #1 – 12 Points; and 3rd Place Overall – Hammondsport Fire Department – 10 Points.