Firefighters take a day off to hone their skills

CORALVILLE -- Hundreds of firefighters hoisted hoses as smoke billowed into the sky at S.T. Morrison Park on Saturday. But rest-assured, there was no fiery tragedy here.

The firefighters were participants in the Coralville Fire Department's 36th annual Winter Fire Fights and the smoke came from the dozen-or-so grills posted in front of tailgates surrounding the festivities.

200 teams from departments around the region made the trip to Coralville for the event. In the waterball event, opposing teams stood across from each other. On the starter's command, the teams grabbed their hoses and shot water at a metal ball hung from a wire overhead. Whichever team pushed the ball far enough into the opposing team's territory was dubbed the winner.

Despite the grills, the drinks, and the music that accompanied the waterball matches, one veteran firefigher said the game is also good practice.

"It is good practice on holding a hose, getting used to wearing your gear -- just a lot of experience out there in terms of handling your equipment and how it feels," said Kathy Septer of the Hills Fire Department.

Septer has competed for 25years and said one of the best parts of the event is seeing colleagues from other departments, picking up a few tips, and offering help to younger staffers.

"It's like a family. You get to be a family after doing this for quite a while."