Firefighters from Palmerton Municipal Fire Station showed off a pair of trophies they won this year to the borough council Thursday night.

A crew of four firefighters and a Dalmatian participated in the Firemen's Association of the State of Pennsylvania's 136th Convention and Parade held Sept. 23 through 26 in Lake Harmony. The convention was hosted this year by the Lake Harmony Fire Company.The fire department received first place for Best Appearing Platform (2006-2015) and for Best Appearing Dalmatian. Their ladder truck won in this category. Gerard "Elvis" Alfano and Kyle Behler told the council members all about their preparation for the convention and the criteria that the pup had to pass to win best Dalmatian.Alfano said he heard about the convention and competition and wanted to participate. After getting the thumbs up to attend, he powerwashed the undercarriage and cleaned every section of the ladder truck. Working on it until it glistened took him about a month. Although he did do a lot of the work, he also received some help from fellow firefighters in the company. When it came time for the competition, Palmerton Municipal beat out about 15 other ladder trucks.The dog, Tiller, proved to have the best manners and behavior. He could also do some tricks, Behler said. The Dalmatian is seven-years old and owned by Mike Kercsmar, who also attended the convention.Both men said they were excited when they won two first place trophies."We were jumping up and down," Alfano said. "This is the first trophy we've won since being in the new building."The fire company moved into its new facility last year.The special display case is being built for the trophies and will be placed on the first floor near the fire chief's office, Alfano said."It was fun," he said about attending the competition. They probably won't be going next year though. The 2016 convention will be in the Pittsburgh area. But the next time the convention comes close to Palmerton, Alfano wants to be there.Behler added, "We really appreciate the borough for allowing us to have the opportunity to go (to this year's competition)."Borough council members congratulated them on their win.