Schuylkill Firemen’s Convention to kick off Sunday

It’s been a while, but the Schuylkill County Firemen’s Convention is coming back to Tamaqua on Sunday.

According to Fire Chief Jim Connely, the last time Tamaqua hosted the event was in 2009.

“We’ve been holding it about every 10 years,” Connely said.

“It rotates around the county to different locations. We’re starting it off with something different this year. This Sunday, at 2 p.m., we’re doing a stair climb at the Tamaqua Hi-Rise. People climb the high-rise seven times, and then five stories, which equals 110 stories, in remembrance of the fallen firefighters from Sept. 11. We’re collecting a $30 donation and then we’re passing that along to the Lehigh Valley Health Network regional burn center.”

Following the climb will be a memorial church service at St. John’s Lutheran Church beginning at 6:30 p.m., which is open to anyone who would like to attend. Sunday marks the beginning of a busy week in Tamaqua.

“Monday we’re doing a training event, but we’re doing a change of venue, it’ll be at the South Ward Fire Company,” Connely said. “We have the Allentown Fire Department training chief conducting a class on initial size-up for the first responders; what to say, what to do and so forth. This is open to any firefighter, and it starts at 7 p.m. We expect it to be a two-hour class at most. Everyone who attends will get a raffle ticket and a chance to win a thermal camera at the end of the class.”

There will be a convention meeting on Thursday at the New England Fire Company at 6:30 p.m. This dinner meeting is a closed event for all of the delegates and past presidents.

Saturday is the big day: the parade, which will start at Swatara and Broad streets.

“There are 103 fire companies in Schuylkill County, and I would imagine most of them will be represented,” Connely said.

“We even have Lehighton, Lebanon, Jim Thorpe, Summit Hill, all of the surrounding communities that aren’t even Schuylkill County, are coming to participate.”

Connely is excited to see everyone come together and participate in an exciting week.

“This is all put together by the four fire companies of Tamaqua,” he said. “With the stair-climb, even though we’re doing it for the Lehigh Valley Health Network, the St. Luke’s nurses are coming to monitor the climbers. All of the different ministers from different churches in Tamaqua are doing the memorial service. The chief of the training for Allentown used to live in Shenandoah, and he’s coming back to do the training on Monday. It’s bringing the local people back to the area to participate in this.”