TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Tucson Fire Department follows years of tradition with its 'pipes and drums' band.
The Tucson Fire Department’s band started in 2007. Many of those who join do not go into it knowing how to play the bagpipes, which take about a year to learn how to play.
Captain Mark Cromey said, “You earn the right to wear a kilt in the band, before that you’re playing but you just wear a shirt, but you won’t wear any of the extra uniform stuff. It took me about a year and some change before I got my kilt.”
Tucson Fire Pipes and Drums typically plays at funerals, memorials and celebrations of life.
“Our goal is to honor the people that came before us,” said Captain Seth McKinney. “People that have been killed in the line of duty, people that have just given lives of service.”
They are able to accomplish this through the power of music.
McKinney said, “It just feels like something significant. We give a lot of our time, it makes me emotional, helping people, honoring those people.”
The men and women of the band are all volunteers, practicing and performing on top of their 24-hour work shifts.
“We don’t get paid for it, we do this out of our own time. It takes hundreds of hours of practice, lots of dedication. All the members that we have now have spent a ton of time, their own personal time, away from their families, out here to honor those people that came before us,” McKinney said.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
