IRON COUNTY — The 127th annual U.P. Firefighters Tournament will be taking place in Calumet this year on July 28-30. The Calumet Township Fire Department is hosting the event, with the theme being “Fires we fight, on a cold winter’s night”.     Jim Mylchreest, a third-generation firefighter and the chief of the West Iron County Fire Department, explained the schedule of events for this year.     First is the Full-Dress Parade, where departments march in uniform and are judged in multiple categories.     Next, later at night, is the Shirttail Parade. This is where the departments build a float based on whatever theme the hosting department chooses.     “The next day is full of races,” Mylchreest said. “Each race involves five teammates. The types of races are ladder race, the dress race, hose coupling and hose interchange. The hosting department also comes up with a mystery race that no one knows about until the time of the event.”     West Iron County took first place out of 24 other teams last year. They won all of the races except for the mystery race, while the Caspian Fire Department took second place overall.    When the races are done, the firemen take a break until it’s time for the Firemen’s Ball. There’s music, usually a band, and the trophies are awarded.     The last event of the tournament is the Commercial Parade. This parade allows vehicles, so the fire trucks and vehicles that pull the floats are included.

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