By Laura French
NEW YORK — The FDNY EMS Pipes and Drums performed in the virtual “Parade Across America” marking President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.
The Biden Presidential Inaugural Committee announced the list of performers Monday, with the FDNY EMS Pipes and Drums representing first responders and the state of New York. The parade was livestreamed on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 3:15 p.m. ET on the committee’s social media pages, including its YouTube channel.
FDNY Capt. Kevin Haugh, the band’s drum major, told Spectrum News that being asked to represent the department at the parade was a “great honor.”
Haugh said it is the first time the band, made up of FDNY EMTs and paramedics, would perform at an inaugural parade. The NYPD Pipes and Drums performed at the inaugural parade for then-President Donald Trump in 2017.
The band prerecorded its performance at the FDNY EMS Training Academy in Fort Trotten last Thursday. Haugh said the band worked for three-and-a-half hours on the performance, filming it five times to deliver a final version to the inaugural committee.
Haugh said members were happy to get together to work on the performance, as they haven’t been able to practice as a complete group during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Parade Across America feature was also one of the first times since the start of the pandemic that the band has been able to perform publicly, due to many parades being canceled.
Watch the performance below: