What we’re about
We are firefighter pipers and drummers from the Pacific Northwest who have banded together to form a new organization, the Northwest Firefighters Pipe Band Association. The aims of the NFPBA are to foster communication and information-sharing, develop agreements for the handling of LODDs, identify common tunes and settings for use when bands in the region play together, and organize periodic social functions. The organization is informal, with no officers, dues, or secret handshakes...but it does have a pretty cool logo.
The fire pipe band scene in the Northwest has been very collegial, with established bands actively supporting the establishment of new bands, particularly along the I-5 corridor. The association seeks to formalize what has been informally taking place over the last couple of years. While on again, off again discussions about the formation of a national fire pipe band organization have taken place in recent years; folks in the Northwest hope that doing something on a regional scale will have a better chance of success, given the ability to meet face-to-face, and may possibly serve as a model for an eventual national association. There is a North Division and a South Division of the association for the purposes of Meetup. Members are welcome to join either, but the purpose is to make each group more focused on a specific jurisdiction: the North Division being focused on Washington State, and the South Division focused on Oregon. Officers from each group will be monitoring both and sharing events as appropriate.