Brampton firefighters claim three regional championships
By Pam Douglas The Caledon Enterprise
Brampton firefighters claimed three regional championships in the FireFit Challenge at Chinguacousy Park this past weekend, taking every event in which they competed.
The Brampton 1 team won both the relay and team competitions, while the Over 40 team topped its relay event.
Brampton Fire Chief Andy MacDonald, a member of the winning Over 40 team, said the wins set the stage for next year when Brampton will host the big event— the FireFit Canadian Championships.
“It was a tremendous success,” MacDonald said of the regional competition.
This year, the national championships will be held in Gaspe, Quebec, Sept. 3-6.
The sixth annual Blazin’ Summer Weekend FireFit Regional Challenge brought thousands out to the stands to watch, despite a downpour Saturday afternoon.
The Brampton 1 team consisted of Brad Welsh, Steve Keegstra, Drew Heurter, Sean Romanek and Chad Abra.
The Over 40 team included MacDonald and Peter Reid, Mark Evans, Dan Rowland (three former Canadian champions) and Marcel Fournel.
The FireFit Challenge is a race against the clock performed in full firefighting gear. They climb, pull, spray and drag their way to the finish line in team, individual and relay competitions.
The competition simulates firefighting tasks often required during emergency situations, such as running up flights of stairs carrying a hose and dragging a ‘victim’ across the finish line.
Participants run up a five-storey FireFit tower, fully clothed in heavy firefighter gear, breathing apparatus and boots and carrying a 20 kilogram roll of hose, pull a rope attached to another 20 kilogram roll of hose up from the ground and run down again.
Competitors then must move a 65 kilogram weight nearly two metres with a hammer, run a slalom course to pick up a fire hose that weighs 150 kilogram when extended and hit a target with the water stream.
They then pick up a life-sized dummy, the weight of an average man, and drag it a distance of 30 m.
Becky Harmata
The Fire Emporium
Toll Free: 866-832-1468
Fax: 250-769-3588
Email: info@fireemporium.com
Web: http://www.fireemporium.com/
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