N.Y. Volunteer Works as Firefighter for NASCAR Tracks

June 01--Craig LaPlante is always ready to go "over the wall."

The Star Lake resident has been a volunteer fireman for 25 years with the Star Lake Fire Department years. He loves auto racing and went to races with his brothers at the Evans Mills Speedway and Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville when he was a young boy.

As a young adult he also attended some NASCAR races. He watched the firemen in action at the races and thought he'd like to do that someday.

"Friends of mine with the Syracuse fire department got me hooked up through the Pocono International Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., in 2002," LaPlante said. "I sent in a resume, got hired for work during NASCAR race week, and I have been there ever since."

LaPlante, who is supervising equipment operator instructor/equipment coordinator for Region 7 of the State Department of Transportation, also works as a volunteer firemen for NASCAR races at the New Hampshire Speedway in Loudon, N.H.

LaPlante works for NASCAR Track Services. He is one of many firemen that work at the various NASCAR tracks around the country. LaPlante is scheduled to work the races at Pocono Raceway on June 8-9. Later, he will work at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the New Hampshire 300 and the other races on July 13-14.

My duties during race day ... when I first started was as a pit-road fire fighter," LaPlante said. "I was later promoted to a pit-road supervisor, which means I was in charge of seven pit areas."

As a supervisor, he would check on the other volunteer firemen that man the pits and relieve them for breaks. LaPlante is now a crew chief.

"I have a crew of four and we man a fire truck that is a Class A pumper," he said. "We work the gasoline fuel island set up at every speedway."

At the Loudon, N.H., site, LaPlante is a pit road fire fighter. Over the years he has been invited to work at several other NASCAR tracks, but he hasn't gone yet.

"Race week for the fire fighters begins on a Tuesday," LaPlante said. "On Tuesday we pick up our credentials, and Wednesday and Thursday we make sure our area and the fire truck we have are in good conditions. We also help with other duties in the pit and track areas."

Often there are truck races and Nationwide car races on Friday and Saturday, which also must be covered by the various volunteer firemen. Sometimes they even spend a Monday at the track if Sunday's race is postponed due to the weather conditions.

"If you are a pit road firefighter you are assigned a pit box," LaPlante said. "You are also a back-up to the pit boxes to the right and left of where you are standing."

If the firemen are needed to go "over the wall," or onto the track, they must wait for NASCAR officials to give the crews the signal. It depends on the situation.

"It could be an injured crewman and if that is the case, we have to perform first aid or call for a medical vehicle," he said. "It might be a fire. If it is a small fire, it can usually be handled by one crew. In a larger fire, NASCAR will contact us to go and help out."

Each NASCAR official is assigned to a pit along with the fire crews . On race day LaPlante said they introduce themselves to the NASCAR official and the pit-crew chief at that pit box.

LaPlante -- knocking on wood at his desk at the Dulles State Office Building -- said he hasn't been involved in any serious fires. He said most of what he has occurred are small brake and fuel-line fires.

"There are oil spills where an oil line has been broken," he said. "We usually go out and put (a drying agent) down on the spills."

MCCREADIE WINS OUTLAWS RACE

Watertown native Tim McCreadie finally appears to have regained the winning formula.

McCreadie, hampered by track mishaps and equipment issues this season, held off Darrell Lanigan for the World of Outlaws late model series victory on Thursday at the Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, The win was worth $10.650 for his race team.

McCreadie had the outside pole for the 50-lap race.

Tim Fuller of Watertown finished eighth.

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