Apprentices from Plumbers and Fitters Local 290 and members of Fire Fighters Local 43 sloshed to a 0-0 tie at the annual “Broom Ball” match held during intermission of the Portland Winterhawks hockey game Feb. 4 at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum. In Broom Ball, contestants don tennis shoes and plastic sticks and try to slap a foam ball into the net.
The event is used to increase fire safety awareness and promote residential fire sprinkler safety. Local 290 offers a training program for residential fire sprinkler system installation that is endorsed by the Portland Fire Bureau and the Oregon Building Codes Division.
Local 290 owned the Broom Ball Cup going into the Feb. 4 match. Because of the tie, the Plumbers and Fitters retained the cup for another year. Fire Fighters owned the Cup for three years from 2008 to 2010.
Local 290 is a major season sponsor of the Winterhawks. During the season it awards $100 to a “Player of the Month.” On Feb. 4, goalie Mac Carruth was presented a check by Jed Scheuermann, assistant apprenticeship training coordinator, and Shane Halifax, a former Winterhawks player, now an apprentice steamfitter.
