....A passion for not only the camaraderie and brotherhood that is forged between firefighters, but the rich tradition and heritage of the Fire Service.
....We are about preserving the tradition and heritage of the fire service and taking care of our brother and sister firefighters.
....We believe in Pride: In our departments, in our stations, in our apparatus, and pride in ourselves.
How exactly to you improve upon a Fraternal Organization that believes and is founded upon statements like these? I will tell you how, you form a Pipe and Drum band made up of people that belong to such an organization.
WEBSITE: http://www.foolsinternational.com/
Your Name and Position
Jeremy Brown
F.o.o.l.s Pipes & Drums, Decatur Twp. Fire Indianapolis
What do you play?
Snare Drum
How long have you been playing?
3 Years
You are in the FOOLS Pipes and Drums can you explain what and who the FOOLS are?
F.o.o.l.s is a Fraternal Organization for the brotherhood of firefighters, started in 1995 in Central Florida , it has now grown to over 7000 members strong, We have chapters in almost every state in the USA and chapters in Australia & IRAQ , READ MORE : http://foolsinternational.com/quickLinks/About_Us.shtml
When did the FOOLS Pipes and Drums come to be?
2006 F.o.o.l.s International Convention (Chicago)
How many are in the FOOLS Pipes and Drums right now?
14
Pipers: Snare Drummers:
John Ferguson PBCFR Ron Smith Gary IN. Fire
Mike Stallings Orlando Fire Jeremy Brown DTFD Indianapolis
Walt Lewis Orlando Fire Brian Jones Stockton Fire
Koy Wilson Stockton Fire Scott DeArmond PTFD Indianapolis
Brian Petyo Gary IN. Fire Joe Polenzani Tennessee
Art Bloomer New Jersey Scott Huff Indianapolis Fire
Bass:
Dustin Palmer BCTFD IN.
Chris Valentine Shelbyville Fire IN.
Is it a particular chapter of FOOLS that make up the pipes and drums or is it FOOLS from all over the country?
F.o.o.l.s Pipes & Drums is open to any F.o.o.l.s Members in the USA
Can you give us a breakdown of the FOOLS Chapters represented?
Stockton F.o.o.l.s
Indy Metro F.o.o.l.s
New Jersey F.o.o.l.s
Founding F.o.o.l.s
Palm Beach County F.o.o.l.s
North Coast F.o.o.l.s
Middle Tennessee F.o.o.l.s
New England F.o.o.l.s
I assume you have to be a member of the FOOLS, are there any other requirements?
No requirements with the exception of knowing the music and being able to play a their instrument, (If you are wanting to learn to play we are willing to give the avenues to teach you within our group if possible) (Be a member of F.o.o.l.s in good standing)
What would someone have to do to join the fools pipes and drums?
Contact Pipe Major Jon Ferguson or Drum Sergeant Ron Smith express their interest they will make the decision for the membership of the band.
Is there a minimum set list you require of someone to know or show proficiency in to be accepted into the Fools band?
Scotland the Brave
Minstrel Boy
Amazing grace
Bal Moral
Green Hills
Battle Ore
Marine Core Hymn
Rakes
I see more and more of the FOOLS instruments popping up do you guys purchase them yourselves or are they provided by your chapter?
I have the only official F.o.o.l.s Snare I purchased it on my own, It is a Dynasty Custom Built Dual Snare , Dustin Palmer's Bass is a vintage Premier 26" which I refurbished for the band and donated.
Chris Valentines Bass is a Vintage 28" Premier he purchased his own I worked the drum to have the 2 as a matching set. We would like to eventually provide matching drums for all the snare drummers in the future once we are able to raise money to do so.
The FOOLS Snare
Who designed the pipe and drum logo?
Jeremy Brown WWW.N-DEPTHFIREGRAPHICS.COM
Who did the bass drum heads?
Jeremy Brown N-Depth Fire Graphics
The FOOLS Bass Drums
You have the drums going is there a Fools Bag Cover in the works?
Yes, Black PBI Matrix Cover with Orange/Silver Triple Trim
What about travel, are you getting any financial support?
We receive no financial support for travel; most all the members of the band pay their own way to the F.o.o.l.s International Convention once a year and also FDIC
How could someone support the FOOLS Pipes and drums?
www.Foolsinternational.com
Our portion of the website will be up and running shortly and Decals, Patches, Shirts, Hats ETC. will be available for purchase
Are the members doing double duty, playing for other bands and playing for the FOOLS when needed? Or are the FOOLS Pipes and Drums a stand alone band?
Most all members play for the local FD band , F.o.o.l.s Pipes & Drums is a stand alone band at F.o.o.l.s events it is a mass band we organized for the times when we have F.o.o.l.s events with everyone there.
What’s the overall goal of the FOOLS Pipes and Drums?
To provide an avenue for brother and sister firefighters around the USA to be apart of the country's largest mass band , We will work to make this the largest open mass band in the country to provide leadership , instruction and help brothers and sisters with the ambition to learn this craft. Also provide the music that is a part of the tradition and history of the fire service
Black Bunker Kilts? Is that the official FOOLS Pipes and drums Uniform?
Black PBI Kilts Orange/Silver Triple Trim
Black Dress Shirt
Black Socks
Orange/Silver Triple Trim Flashes
Black Duty Boots
Black Military Ribbed Sweater (Class A)
Who came up with the kilt and how much do they run?
Jeremy came up with the kilt it is mocked off of Palm Beach County Pipes & Drums
Where do you get the Kilts from?
Kilts are made in Greenfield, Indiana by Brenda Colip Seamstress; her son is an IFD firefighter
I noticed no official uniform headgear?
As of now no official headgear we will look into that at a later date.
I know there has to be other Fools out there that play are you guys looking to recruit or just take them as they come to you?
We will recruit as soon as the website gets launched we have been calling all we know of.
You guys obviously don’t practice together given some of the distances how does that work when you get together to play?
Most of our drum line is from Indiana we play together quite a few times through the year as for the band in general we play all mass band music. Standard 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, Military, if not we most all can adapt.
What are the big travel plans for 2008?
Our next stop will be Fools International Convention in Seattle, July 9th - 13th 2008
