Ho w to Get Fully Involved

How to Get FULLY INVOLVED!

CAPTAIN KEN DE JONG 345-A

Toronto Fire Services Pipes & Drums Band An Interview with Toronto Fire Fighter Jost Kaempffer, Band President, Station 332-A

INTRODUCTION

This is a series of Q&A articles on Toronto Fire related organizations that can get you more involved in the firefighting community. Some of the best people on the job give back to the fire service in fun and exciting ways. If you find this organization interesting, consider reaching out to them for more information.

KEN: What does your organization do and what is its history? JOST: We are the Fire Chief’s Pipes & Drums Band and our main purpose is for ceremonial and bereavement events. We provide the music for the ceremonies that are associated with the Fire Department such as memorials, funerals, recruit graduations, parades and larger events involving the Fire Chief or representing the fire department. The

band formed in 1998 and has evolved over the years. We have our own Toronto Fire Services “Tartan” (the patterned cloth making up our kilts) which was registered in 1999, with the assistance of Andrew Cunningham, 442D and with the support of Chief Stewart. KEN: What is the origin of the tunes you play and the marching you do? JOST: Generally, when we march, we follow a military formation with the Drum Major (Dave Archer, 313D) in the front. We then form up in ranks with the Pipe Major (Donna Bakewell, Retired FP) on the right side, with the other pipers forming up in ranks beside and behind her, followed by the drums. The tunes (NOT SONGS!) are generally Scottish in origin but we also play Irish tunes, especially while marching in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade! Some of the tunes the band plays are called “Massed Band Tunes”. These are tunes that the majority of pipe bands around the world know. For example, Scotland the Brave is a “Massed Band Tune”. On many occasions, we have combined bands with other Fire Department bands where we will call out a “Massed Band Tune,” so everyone can play together.

KEN: How do you recruit members? JOST: For recruitment, we host an open house once a year at the Fire Academy, which gives those interested an opportunity to learn more about the band, the commitment of being a member, and to answer any other questions they may have. A large component of recruitment also stems from word-of-mouth or seeing the band perform. We encourage members of TFS to join the band, as they understand and respect the importance of being in uniform, however, we also get requests to join from members of the public, which we are also open to. It would be ideal to have 75% of the band be represented by Toronto Firefighters, as we deal with a lot of job-related events (LODD and active member funerals) that closely affect our whole department. With that being said, we are very grateful to our talented civilian members, as they volunteer their time throughout the year and are a big reason the band is sounding so great! For those who are reading this and are interested in learning more, please don’t hesitate to contact me at Station 332 – A Platoon, or send an email to the band.

KEN: What is the commitment for a member? JOST: We have a certain number of “gigs” that we consider mandatory. The Toronto Fallen Firefighter Memorial, the Ontario Fallen Firefighter Memorial and the Remembrance Day Ceremony are the three biggies. We have numerous funerals (especially LODD funerals) that we ask you to do your best to be there, but as there are a lot, you can get a little burned-out attending all of them. We also have a lot of fun events that are optional, but if you don’t make it to the mandatory events then you’re not meeting your commitment. We also expect people to attend at least one practice a month (but we hope they make more than that!)

KEN: How hard is it to learn and get good at the skills for your organization? JOST: It’s whatever you put into it. When I joined the Fire Department, I did a ride-a-long with Donna Bakewell and she asked me if I ever considered the Pipes & Drums. I said no (although I could read music and play piano and drums). I was interested, so I learned the fingering on a “chanter”, which is a practice instrument that looks like a recorder. I was at Station 441 at the time and I practiced so much around the hall, I was called the “snake charmer”! After about a year, I moved up to a practice set of bagpipes and then worked my way up, until purchasing my own set of pipes. It’s a very steep learning curve and the key is to just practice a little every day. For the drums, it’s the same process, where you start on a practice pad, move up to a drum, then learn to drum while marching. KEN: Where and when do you meet for practices and events? JOST: We practice every Thursday from 7 until 9 at the Fire Academy. When it comes to events, we have a band website that’s just for the members and it has all of the details of the events. Sometimes, the department provides a vehicle and we transport all of the instruments from the Academy and sometimes people take the instruments after a practice night and we meet right at the event. KEN: Are there any costs that are the responsibility of the members? JOST: For the pipers, you are expected to purchase the practice chanter and then when the time comes, your own bagpipes. For the drummers, you purchase a set of sticks and a practice pad, but the drums are provided by the band. The uniform is provided by the Fire Department (but if you leave the band, you return the uniform). Travel costs are your own, but when we travel a long distance (e.g. we’ve been to Scotland a few times), we do some fundraising, but anything not covered by the fundraising is the responsibility of the members. KEN: What is your most epic event that you’ve been at? JOST: I think going to the World Bagpipe Championships in Scotland would be my answer (we’ve been twice, in 2013 and 2018). There are THOUSANDS of pipers and drummers and when you are on the field with all of them, playing the Massed Band Tunes – it’s an amazing experience! A local event that I would say is when we played with The Chieftains at Roy Thompson Hall. That was pretty epic! KEN: Have you met anyone famous or done any other special events? JOST: At the Chieftains event, we got to meet Chris Hadfield, the Canadian Astronaut. That was very cool. We’ve met plenty of politicians over the years, performed at halftime during the Toronto Wolfpack (rugby) game and we’ve marched in numerous victory parades for TFC, the Argonauts and most recently the Raptors Championship parade. We have travelled to Calgary for the Stampede and also down to the IAFF Fallen Fighter Memorial in Colorado Springs, which is pretty phenomenal as well! KEN: What would you say to someone out there thinking of joining the Pipes and Drums? JOST: Come check us out and I promise you it’s a lot of fun and it’s a great group of people. If you like to travel, we do that. We’ve been to Belgium, France, Holland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the United States and all over Canada. You’ll meet amazing people. There are some somber events, but there are a lot of fun events as well. KEN: Any final thoughts? JOST: It’s a very dedicated group and I don’t think people realize how much time it takes up when you join the band – but it’s totally worth it! You never know how you will do at it unless you try!

Come give it a whirl if you’ve even had a thought about it.

CONTACT INFORMATION & SOCIAL MEDIA

Jost Kaempffer, Station 332-A Cell: (905) 865-9165 Email: torontofire_pipesanddrums@hotmail.com Website: https://torontofirepipesanddrums.myband.io/ Instagram: @torontofirepb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TorontofirePB/ Twitter: @TorontofirePB