No sense fiddling with a good thing.
With that in mind, the 29th annual Jeffco Fire Engine Rally will offer a tried-and-true schedule.
The rally will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Herculaneum City Park, 776 Joachim Ave.
“It’s pretty much the same,” said Bill Haggard, president of the Jefferson County Firefighters Association and chairman of the rally organization committee. “There’s not really any ways to change it that we can do. We talk about it, but no one really comes up with anything, and I think people are happy with what we do.”
The rally, the only one of its kind in the St. Louis metropolitan area, will begin as always with a parade of firetrucks and other emergency vehicles.
The parade will start at 9 a.m. at St. Pius X High School, 1030 St. Pius Drive, in Crystal City, and proceed northward on Hwy. 61-67 to the park grounds.
The parade’s grand marshal will be Kevin Grimshaw, the retired deputy chief medical officer of the Rock Community Fire Protection District.
Grimshaw served for 40 years with Rock Community, Haggard said.
“He always has been big into community education programs,” Haggard said, “spreading the word about fire safety. He had a lot to do with that district’s public education for fire and EMT (emergency medical technician) issues.
“This is the third year in a row that someone from Rock Community has been our grand marshal, following Jeff Broombaugh last year and James Goebel in 2021. But that’s alright with me.”
Karter Luke-Lee McGee, 8, of Berkeley will represent the Midwest Children’s Burn Camp and Burns Recovered Support Group as the junior grand marshal.
Once the parade reaches the park, at about 10 a.m., the rally will open with the presentation of colors by the Jefferson County Firefighters Color Guard, then Ian Ebrecht of St. Louis County will sing the national anthem, leading into the memorial ceremony conducted by the fire chaplains of the county.
The service will honor 12 people associated with local firefighting efforts through the years who have died since the last rally was held.
Those who will be honored include:
■ Heath M. Besand of the Dunklin Fire Protection District.
■ Bob Bohmie of the High Ridge Fire Protection District.
■ Donald F. Brown of the Hillsboro Fire Protection District.
■ Richard Hiel of the Rock Township Ambulance District.
■ Ted W. Howell of the De Soto Fire Department and De Soto Rural Fire Protection District.
■ Al LaPointe of the Rock Community Fire Protection District.
■ Dennis Sanchez of the Festus Fire Department, Crystal City Fire Department and Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District.
■ Danny Scharf of the De Soto Fire Department.
■ Robert W. “Bob” Schlingmann of the Hillsboro Fire Protection District and Goldman Fire Protection District.
■ Tommy Seegers of the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District and Valle Ambulance District.
■ Cindy Vaugh of the Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District.
■ Barbara A. Williams of the Valle Ambulance District.
“It’s a serious ceremony,” Haggard said. “We read off the person’s name and the date that they passed and there’s a bell we ring for each person.”
He said to observe the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, that bell is rung three times, then four times and then another three times for the 343 firefighters who died responding to the tragedy at the World Trade Center.
In addition, five awards will be presented by the Jefferson County Firefighters Association: Firefighter of the Year, Fire Chief Officer of the Year, EMS Department of the Year, EMS Chief Officer of the Year and Paramedic of the Year.
The ceremony will be followed at about 11:30 a.m. by a fire sprinkler suppression demonstration by the Crystal City Fire Department and St. Louis Fire Sprinkler Alliance.
The second demonstration, at about 1:30 p.m., typically changes every year.
“This year, it will be a vehicle stabilization demonstration by the Festus Fire Department,” Haggard said. “I honestly don’t know what it’s going to look like.”
A Dalmatian show will give awards to the largest and smallest of the breed associated with firefighting, the dogs with the most and fewest spots, the best dressed and the best trick.
As in the past, there will be plenty of events for children, including a bounce house and 20-foot inflatable slide, slingshot game, a photo booth, a scavenger hunt in which children will search for Smokey Bear and Sparky items, face paintings and air brushing and a balloon artist who also will perform magic shows, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
A children’s firefighter challenge will put participants through the paces in a number of activities, including crawling through a culvert pipe, entering through a window and rescuing a doll.
The Rock Community Fire Protection District will bring its fire safety house, where children will learn how to escape a home fire.
Haggard said children and adults both enjoy the chance to get close-up views of firetrucks and EMS vehicles.
Air rescue helicopters from ARCH Air Medical and Air Evac Lifeteam are scheduled to arrive around 11 a.m., depending on call volume, and may need to leave early if needed for an emergency.
Awards for the vehicles at the rally will begin at about 2:45 p.m.
The De Soto, Shekinah and Joachim Masonic lodges will host a child identification program.
As usual, vendors will sell various firefighter-related items, and the organizing committee will sell official T-shirts as well as raffle tickets on a firefighter painting by Nancy Klos of Hillsboro and a 30-ounce epoxied stainless steel tumbler designed by Robin Schrage of Festus.
Vendors will sell food and drinks and informational booths will be set up.
Admission and parking are free. Alcohol will not be permitted on the grounds.
For information, call Haggard at 314-852-4964, send an email to billh6300@hotmail.com or go to the Jeffco Fire Engine Rally page on Facebook.