Hants County Pumper Duty Race comes to an end amid firefighter fatigue
WINDSOR, NS — After battling Nova Scotia’s unprecedented wildfire season, volunteer firefighters didn’t have enough left in the tank to compete in the annual Hants County Pumper Duty Race.
The organizer of the event, Greg Hazel, was not surprised. Firefighters have been going full steam ahead lately and that means prioritizing what else they are doing.
“Because of the high number of calls and the wildfires in the past month or so, several departments don’t have the time[to train]and are quite tired from all the calls,” says Hazel.
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There was only enough interest this year to run two teams — all members of the Brooklyn Fire Department — and the event organizer admitted it was time to call it a day.
“It’s disappointing, but it’s the change of the times. We don’t have volunteers knocking down doors to get in,” said Hazel, a Brooklyn firefighter.
“It would be nice if more people joined the fire service, but everyone is really too busy and you have to be special to be a firefighter – kind of crazy, I guess,” he said with a laugh.
Hazel has been an occasional firefighter for 17 years.
The pump service challenge involves a team of five firefighters who work together to set up a water supply and use a hose to topple a barrel a certain distance away. Each team gets two attempts to beat their time. The fastest team wins the match. It generally takes about a minute.
Hazel was involved in reviving the pump service races in 2017 as a way to demonstrate firefighting skills and promote pride and camaraderie. In its first years of running, participants came from both East and West Hants, plus the Annapolis Valley and Halifax. Rawdon won the first two years and Windsor won in 2019. The event had to be canceled due to COVID, and last year post-tropical storm Fiona resulted in another cancellation.
Hantsport firefighter Jennifer Daniels first got involved in the competition in 2019 as a relatively new member. For her, it not only served as an excellent training opportunity, but also fostered camaraderie. At the time, she was the only woman on the Hantsport team.
“It was a real privilege to be part of a group of seasoned firefighters that I looked up to, especially quite new to the service. They were patient, willing to share tips and tricks and very competitive, but we always laughed a lot and had fun,” she recalled.
Daniels said they trained weekly for several months prior to the event.
“It helped build confidence, improved skills used on the live firing field and built confidence as a team.”
She was looking forward to the competition last year before it was cancelled.
“Last year we assembled an all-female team with a variety of skills and strengths, so we were able to have a team that could handle pumping operations, hydrant connection and a hose line crew,” she said. “It was a team that was 100 percent fierce women, which brought out the best in us by working together.”
This year she was on the planning committee and although she had just finished a 12-hour night shift, she attended the event and served as timekeeper.
“I wanted it to work out because at the fire department we look after each other and Greg and the other committee members wanted to push it through,” she said.
“Turnout was low this year, but we recognize that in recent weeks, as the majority of firefighters across the county helped with the wildfires and then raised funds for spring and community activities, many departments were exhausted or under-resourced. “
Like Hazel, Daniels said participating in fun competitions, such as the pumper duty race, often has to take a back seat.
“Time is precious and scarce in today’s volunteer service, making it difficult to do anything extra beyond the role of training and protecting the volunteers,” she said.
While they are both sad that the game in Windsor is coming to an end, they are optimistic that it will continue. There is already talk that a south coast fire department could take over the mantle.
“Success comes when there is a goal, motivation and an end goal. The fire department is proud of that, so I suspect the pump service will continue,” Daniels said. “Time will tell and I’m sure it will return, if not here then somewhere else, but we can still participate.”
Hazel said in conjunction with the race that the fire department also held a show in shine named after long-serving Windsor firefighter Eric Johnson. During his 32 years with the Windsor Fire Department, he served as deputy chief, janitor, dispatcher and driver. He passed away in September 2022. Hazel said they plan to continue running the show and star annually.
Carole Morris-Underhill is the editor-in-chief of the Valley Journal Advertiser. She can be reached by email at carole.morris-underhill@
