Wilton Fire Department color guard to appear at Fenway Park

WILTON – Fresh off a strong performance at the statewide firefighter convention, the local department’s four-man honor guard will be participating in another ceremony next week: at Fenway Park.

The Wilton Fire Department’s color guard consists of Lt. Randy Barker, Officer of the Guard, Capt. Thom Walker, Assistant Chief Kyle Ellis and firefighter Ryan Macomber. Last fall, after the guard participated in the 2013 firefighter convention, Kyle Ellis’ father, Michael Ellis, wrote the Boston Red Sox organization and nominated the guard to take part in the ceremonies the precede every game.

A couple of days ago, Kyle Ellis said, his father received a reply, asking if the color guard was available to participate in the Sept. 24 home game ceremonies.

“We were just shocked,” Kyle Ellis said. He hadn’t recalled his father telling him that the guard had been submitted for consideration.

The invite was unexpected, and the four members had to scramble to get time off work. The timing of the request is good, however, as the guard has logged significant practice time in advance of this year’s statewide firefighter convention, held at the Farmington Fairgrounds. The Wilton Fire Department color guard took top honors at that event, competing against other fire departments in categories like Appearance, Marching, Character and Alignment.

To go to the typical mix of conventions and parades to Fenway Park, with a capacity approaching 38,000, is “something kind of big,” Ellis said. “We’re all pretty excited about it,” he said.

The guard will leave Wednesday and meet Red Sox representatives in advance of the game. The Red Sox will play the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept 24, with the game scheduled to begin at 7:10 p.m.