Sterling Fire Department Takes Third Place in Wachusett Firefighter Truck Muster

By Jamie Lasorsa, Reporter

The Wachusett Muster League held its annual Firefighter Truck Muster in Harvard, MA on September 18, 2021, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Harvard Fire Department. With eight towns making up the league, Bolton, Boylston, Harvard, Holden, Princeton, Rutland, Sterling, and West Boylston, there is always plenty of friendly competition to win bragging rights each year. This year there were seven of the eight towns participating in the seven-event muster, as Boylston had to sit out.
Sterling Fire Department Muster Captain Brendan Smith, who has served on the department for 10 years, said it was great to have such a large spectator presence this year, as unfortunately in recent years, the muster seems to have lost some of its time-honored allure among communities.
The Fireman’s Muster began as a way for each fire department to show off their skills to “rival” departments through a series of events designed to display their competence and proficiency in all areas relating to fire rescue. While the competition is fierce, the departments are engaged in comradery the whole time. Outside of the competition, the departments work together providing mutual aid to each others’ towns.
When a town is in an actual rescue situation and needs mutual aid, it calls upon its surrounding towns to lend a hand and they come without hesitation. At the muster, if one team is down a man from injury or had an equipment failure, the other competing teams will offer up a team member of their own to stand in or lend equipment that’s needed. Although it’s a competition, the guild that binds them overpowers all else.
Each muster team can consist of multiple members, however only eight competitors are allowed per event. This year, with an 18-member team, Sterling finished strong with a third-place overall finish and had solid showings in events such as the Pump Run (first place), Old Timers Event (first place), Women’s Event (second place) and Tower (fourth place).
This year there were two father/daughter duos on the team. Chief David Hurlbut, Jr., and his daughter Emily McNamara, along with Shawn and Emily Todorov were able to compete together and share this long-established tradition.
One rule of the muster is that you must compete with a truck that is at least 20 years old that has been in service with the department at some point in time. Sterling prides itself on the beauty that their 1936 Mack Muster truck brings to each event. Not only in the muster, but the truck has graced many parades through the years, as well as being requested to appear at special services for retiring firefighters or funerals of fallen heroes. All the maintenance and upkeep on the muster truck is done via private funds, as the truck is no longer in official service for the town. Various events are held to raise funds for this task, but donations are always welcomed, as costs can get hefty with the specialty services it requires. The department is anticipating a few significant repairs being needed in the near future to keep the truck in running order and hopes they will not have to sit out next year’s muster on account of the truck being down.
The sportsmanship, passion and benevolence that is evident during these events is overwhelming. All teams get together after the event to enjoy a banquet and some socialization to reflect on the events, their team’s effort and of course, the winning team gets to brag about their accomplishments.