by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Recently, the Westwood Fire Department (WFD), in partnership with Westwood Recreation, held its annual Firefighter’s Foam party at the Sheehan School on Pond Street. As hundreds gathered on the field, most clad in swimwear and goggles, an announcement was made that the piece of equipment used to make the foam had fallen off the truck on the way over and was damaged. To avoid turning all the kids away on such a hot day - temperatures were in the 90’s, with high humidity - the firefighters made the decision to use their hose to spray a mixture of water and soap, instead.
Initially, the event looked like it would largely be a disappointment. After a few minutes, however, the spray turned into a cooling, watery foam, and previously disconcerted children looked positively ecstatic as they danced and dived into the suds. “Best day ever!” one kid hollered as he slid into the small, soapy pond forming on the field. “This is actually kind of better than the foam,” one parent mused to another. “I can actually see my child in this.”
As the dedicated firefighter’s worked diligently to repair the broken equipment, kids took turns reveling in both the foamy spray and the water hose that was set up on the fence nearby. After some time, the tied-together foam generator was brought to the field to see if would work well enough to produce some foam for the remainder of the event and, luckily, it did.
Tracking down the event’s history was a challenging feat, as it has been running for so long that no-one can seem to remember many specifics. Most do agree, however, that it was founded by former Deputy Fire Chief Michael Reardon, who retired about six years ago. As for how long the foamy fun has been an annual event, “I reviewed our articles on Fireman's Foam, now known as Firefighter's Foam, and read an article from July 1990 which indicated that year was the seventh annual Fireman's Foam,” said Assistant Recreation Director Susan Perry. “If my math serves me correctly, then the first year for Fireman's Foam was 1984, making this year 2024, the 40th anniversary of the event!”
Judging by the great success of the celebration this year, broken equipment and all, it’s safe to say that Westwood children are hoping the event will be around for many years to come.
