Fleming College FireFit Team Heading To Calgary To Compete In National FireFit Championships
/Fleming College’s Pre-Service Firefighter students are heading west this week to compete in the National FireFit Championships.
Amber Milley finished her first Individual race at Oshawa Regional. Photo by Shawna Coulter.
Taking place in Calgary from Wednesday-Sunday, the FireFit Championships have been described as the ultimate test of firefighting skills and endurance, pitting the top firefighters and firefighting students against each other.
Teams will push through their physical and mental limits as they demonstrate their skills against the clock on a course comprised of six grueling physical challenges, all while wearing 50 lbs. of firefighting gear. The competition is based on firefighting tasks commonly performed in emergency situations, including carrying weights up a five-storey tower and dragging a 175 lb. mannequin.
There are categories for men and women, and both compete on the same course in individual and team relay competitions.
This is the eighth year a team from Fleming has competed in FireFit Championships. The team secured its invitation to the Championship due to its success throughout the 2022 season at multiple competitions.
The Fleming FireFit Team is made up of nine students and coaches. Coaches are not only participating in the FireFit competition but are also full-time firefighters themselves.
Ethan Healy crushed his PB with a 2:07 at Oshawa Regional. Photo by Shawna Coulter.
Fleming’s FireFit Team will face the following challenges during the National FireFit Championships:
The Stair Climb: With a four-foot bundle of a four-inch, 42 lb. hose carried on the outside shoulder, competitors climb six flights of stairs and deposit the hose completely in a box.
Hose Hoist: A 45 lb. hose must be hauled up to the top of a tower and completely deposited in a box.
Forcible Entry: Designed as a chopping simulator, competitors must move a beam a certain distance using a nine lb. shot mallet and then place the mallet on a 4’ x 4’ surface area.
Run: Competitors walk or run as fast as they can around hydrants-a distance of 140 ft.-then shoulder a fully charged fire hose.
Hose Advance: Competitors drag a fully charged hose 75 feet. Once the nozzle crosses the 75-foot mark the competitor must open the nozzle, hit a target with the stream of water and then close the nozzle and place it on the ground.
Victim Rescue: A 175 lb. mannequin must be dragged backwards for 100 ft. Time stops when the competitor and the mannequin cross the beam at the finish line.
