Fire departments from across Suffolk County marched up Route 58 Saturday morning in the 150th Suffolk County Volunteer Firemen’s Association Parade.
Parade judges said 25 departments participated, with firefighters marching in formation, some accompanied by department marching bands, followed by fire trucks and rescue vehicles.
Riverhead Police Chief David Hegermiller drove the lead vehicle in the parade, followed by a black Ford Mustang convertible carrying the parade’s grand marshals, Riverhead Fire Department Ex-Captain Robert Kujawski (58-year member) and Riverhead Firefighter Conrad Dabrowski (56-year member.)
The Riverhead Fire Department, as parade and drill host, was the first department in the long lineup of fire companies. Led by their color guard unit, Riverhead firefighters clad in formal blue dress uniforms marched behind Chief Joseph Hartmann, First Assistant Chief J.R. Renten, Second Assistant Chief Piotr Kurzyna and Third Assistant Chief Sean Brennan.
State Assembly Member Jodi Giglio, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine, Riverhead Deputy Supervisor Devon Higgins and Council Member Frank Beyrodt took part in the parade.
The parade route took marchers from the Route 58 traffic circle at Roanoke Avenue to the Riverhead Fire Department drill track’s Route 58 entrance, next to the former N.Y. State Armory. Route 58 from the circle west to Mill Road was closed to traffic for the duration of the parade, which stepped off at 10 a.m. and wrapped up around noon.
After the parade ended, 17 drill teams, including the drill’s hosts, Riverhead’s Ironmen, competed in the county tournament at the Riverhead drill track.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
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