Firefighters Unite for Friendly Hockey Game

The Paris Firefighter Association's hockey team is ready to take on the Drumbo Firefighter Association in a fundraising game this Saturday in Plattsville. Pictured are Jon Morris, Phil Dalpe, Nate Ferris, Dan Aiston, Rodney Marcellus, Tyler Svirk 

By Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

Demonstrating once again that the fire service is one big family, two area stations are joining forces this weekend to raise money for a local family. On March 29th, the Paris Firefighters’ Association is lacing up to take on the Drumbo Firefighters’ Association in a lighthearted, and somewhat competitive hockey game, followed by a catered dinner with live entertainment. The purposes of the event, aside from a little fun on the ice with friends, is to raise money for a Drumbo family that could really use the help as they navigate some health challenges that are forcing them to pay out of pocket for healthcare expenses. “We’ve taken it upon ourselves to help because it’s just what we strive to do as firefighters. Helping people and serving our community is our main objective and what we live for,” explains Rob Campbell, representing the Drumbo Firefighters’ Association, which consists of firefighters from all four stations from Blandford Blenheim Township. Campbell’s respecting the family’s desire for anonymity. “People that need help the most tend to have so much pride they won’t ask for help, and a lot of us within my community feel it’s our duty to recognize these situations, and band together to help with whatever we are capable of,” he added. The Paris Firefighters Association approached their ‘opponents’ with the idea of playing a game. The Paris crew formed its team after a few members got together to share some shinny ice time. That morphed into a team and then extended to fun games against other departments with refs and time keepers. Paris is 1-0 on the ‘season’ so far so when they got wind of a family in need in Drumbo, they approached the Drumbo Firefighters’ Association and challenged them to a charity game. “No matter what the situation is or where, we are there. Drumbo station would do the same for us,” said Phil Dalpe, representing the Paris Station. Word on the street is the Paris team believes they have an edge over Drumbo as they’ve spent the better part of a few months practicing, where Drumbo has just begun practices this month in anticipation of the match up. “Most of the guys on our team played minor hockey, some have played junior and even amateur pro. We have a veteran goalie between the posts and a rookie. Some of us have been hurt in this process, trying to get back to where we came from 20 years ago. But we are as ready as we could be!” Dalpe jokes, the Paris team is full of talent to say the least, maybe not in hockey but in somewhere in their lives. With the game is days away, the light-hearted banter is ramping up between the opponents. “The only thing going for Drumbo is Morrows, where most of them bought their equipment,” said Dalpe. “We will have the advantage over them by simply showing up for the game in our stylish transportation,” he added, also taking aim at Blandford Blenheim’s captain. “I heard their captain is a big fella, big trees fall hard,” he warned. Not to dwell on the negative, Dalpe was quick to give credit to their opponents for their not so secret talent. “They only thing they are good at is their pancake breakfast, which I encourage everyone to partake in.”Campbell was quick to counter with his own observations. “I played hockey with Phil Dalpe many years ago, I admired his heart and skill but let me tell ya, he’s Ikea furniture out there…..no finish!” In the end, Campbell believes Blandford-Blenheim’s key to triumph is playing in their own home barn, in front of a hometown crowd. After all, he said, they won’t have anything different on the bench than what we have, which is a whole lot of camaraderie. The day will be packed with activities from a family skate, sponsored by both the Drumbo and Paris Firefighters, from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm at the Plattsville Arena. The highly anticipated hockey game follows at 5:30 pm. Admission is free, but donations would be greatly appreciated; there will be a donation bottle for attendees who which to support the cause. Bring some cash for the 50/50 draw and a chuck-a-puck contest and don’t miss the shooterama contest during the game, giving attendees a chance to win some prizes. Following the game, there will be a catered dinner in the upstairs hall with live music performed by Jack Redman, along with some raffle prizes. Tickets for that post game entertainment/dinner is $30 each. One thing Campbell and Dalpe could agree on was that they were excited to come together for a good cause. “They are a great fire department that does a lot for their own community, so it wasn’t a surprise they were eager to be on board with an event such as this,” said Campbell. Dalpe added, “We are very proud to be a part of this and happy to help. Hats off to Drumbo Fire for hosting us. It’s a cause that volunteer fire departments are willing to participate in, helping visiting departments’ families.”