http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBR411CDDE.htmlPITTSBURGH (AP) - When about 4,000 firefighters and guests gathered last month at the annual volunteer firemen's convention, they knew what to expect: camping, a parade, and more than a little beer and alcohol.
But what started out as a long weekend of fun ended in tragedy when a fire chief died after a drunken bar fight. Another firefighter is being investigated in a fatal car crash because police said he, too, was drunk.
While fire chiefs across the country have been re-thinking the relationship between alcohol and firefighters, organizers of the multi-county convention insist there's no direct connection between the event and the deaths - so they don't see a need to run the event any differently next year.
"Some things are out of your control," said Paul Sklodowski, president of a volunteer fire company in Cambria County, which is slated to host the next convention. He doubts any changes will be made next year, saying the event already has strict rules.