The Citizen, 2017-07-20, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017.
Local firefighters working towards FireFit nationals
High-level competition
Blyth's Jeff Elliott, a member of the Fire Department of
North Huron, is seen here participating in the FireFit
competition held recently in Wasaga Beach. Elliott is one of
a number of firefighters from both the Fire Department of
North Huron and the Huron East Fire Department who are
now training locally in hopes of qualifying for the national
competition, scheduled for September in Ottawa. (Photo
submitted)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Several members of local fire
departments have taken their
firefighting skills to the next level by
competing in the FireFit competition
— a test of strength, skill and
endurance aimed at firefighters.
The competition, which ends with
a national event in Ottawa in
September, involves firefighters and
other emergency service individuals
donning their full bunker (or
firefighting) gear and taking on a
six -stage competition in the
individual event.
Locally, firefighters from the
Huron East Fire Department and the
Fire Department of North Huron
(FDNH) are participating in the
event with two having already
tentatively qualified for the nationals
and the others hoping that, later in
the summer at a competition in
Oshawa, they can post times to earn
them a berth at the nationals.
From the Fire Department of
North Huron, Alain Dery and
firefighters Jeff Elliott and Amanda
Bekkers have been competing. From
the Huron East Fire Department
(HEFD) Chris Gibson of the
Brussels station and James Yates of
the Grey station take part in the
competition.
Gibson said the event is called "the
toughest two minutes in sports," but,
if things don't go well, it can turn
into six or 10 minutes.
"It's a challenge to test skills and
it's open to all firefighters," he said.
"Volunteer, full-time, any age.
Anyone can compete."
The group responsible for the
event FireFit of Canada Ltd., which
works its way east across the country
hosting the events. Gibson said there
are two to three stops per
participating province and the
national event runs Sept. 6-10 in
Ottawa.
The competition includes a six -
flight, 60 -step, 40 -foot high stair
climb with a 42 pound bundle of
hoses called the high rise pak. The
pak is carried on the firefighter's
shoulder and adds to the weight of
the already heavy bunker gear. After
reaching the top, the second event is
a hose hoist where a roll of hose
weighing 45 pounds is pulled up to
the top of the structure. Following
that, competitors must descend the
stairs, making sure to use handrails
and touch all steps on the way down.
The third event is called forcible
entry and includes a chopping
simulator. Using a nine pound
mallet, competitors have to move a
beam a certain distance. A zig-zag
run follows at which point a fully
charged hose has to be dragged 75
feet then discharged in an attempt to
hit a target. Finally, a simulated
victim rescue is the last event in
which the firefighter needs to drag a
165 pound mannequin backwards
for a distance of 100 feet.
Bekkers, in an interview with The
Citizen just prior to training over the
weekend, said her first competition
at Wasaga Beach on July 8 was an
eye-opener.
"It was a unique experience," she
said.
Bekkers had joined the team
because, as a rookie to the FDNH,
she saw it as an opportunity to
familiarize herself with her bunker
gear in a fast -paced environment.
Other members of the group joined
because they were told it would be a
fun experience.
"I had a buddy who is 20 years old
who said this is a good idea," Yates,
who competes in the over -40
category, said with a laugh. "I said
let's do it. What's the worst that can
happen?"
While Yates said it wasn't easy, he
and Gibson, who competed in a
tandem event called the X3, need to
only shave three seconds off their
02:03 time to qualify for the national
event.
Gibson also qualified for his
individual run, finishing the course
in 1:53:46. He said the competition
provided an opportunity for him to
measure his fitness as a firefighter.
North Huron hasn't fielded a
tandem team yet, however the three
Putting in work
Amanda Bekkers, a relatively new member of the Fire
Department of North Huron, is seen here traversing the six
flights of stairs at the Goderich beach in her bunker gear,
part of the local's training regiment to participate in
provincial FireFit competitions alongside her colleagues in
North Huron and Huron East. (Dennyscottphoto)
competitors are excited to be
competing.
Dery, who also qualified in the
Over -55 category with a time of
2:23, said he enjoys the challenge,
but also likes to meet all the
firefighters that are a part of the
event.
"You can find some good
friendships with all of them," he
said.
Yates agreed, saying he has never
experienced such camaraderie
between competitors than he has at
the events.
"The only anger you can see is
self -frustration," he said. "You see
Continued on page 11
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Teaming up
Chris Gibson, left, and James Yates, both of the Huron East
Fire Department, Gibson of Brussels and Yates of Grey, are
members of local combat teams taking part in FireFit
competitions across the province. They are seen here
showing off their talents at the recent competition held in
Wasaga Beach. (Photo submitted)
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