May 4, 2006

Firefighters qualify for World competition

       Six firefighters from the White River Township Fire Department participated last week in the Tyco/Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge regional event in Indianapolis. The event was held in conjunction with the annual Fire Department Instructor's Conference that took place at different venues throughout the downtown area.

         The Combat Challenge is an obstacle course that was originally a firefighter fitness evaluation conducted by Dr. Paul Davis from the Boston area.  It has now grown to a National Event that has gained in popularity over the past decade.  The Challenge, proclaimed to be “the toughest two minutes in sports”, is made up of five combined events while wearing full firefighting gear and breathing air from a Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). Those events consist of:

1. 5-Story stair climb while carrying a 42lb Hotel Pack (hose fold)
2. Raising a 42lb hose roll up the 5-story wall by a rope.
3. Completing a forcible entry simulator with a 9lb shot mallet.
4. Negotiating a slalom course for a distance of 140 feet, advancing a charged hose line 140 feet, and then hitting a target with the stream.
5. Dragging a 175lb rescue dummy 100 feet to the finish.
    

          Firefighters wanting to compete in the World Championship must first qualify at one of approximately nineteen regional events by meeting or exceeding a minimum time score.  All six of the White River members did well enough in their respective categories at the Indianapolis event to qualify for the World Championship to be held in Las Vegas in November.  The following chart demonstrates the minimum times required for each of the events in order to qualify:

Category	Qualifying Time		Category	Qualifying Time
Male	< 1:50		Tandem Men	< 3:30
Over 40	< 2:30		Tandem Women	< 7:00
Over 45	<2:45		Tandem Over 40	< 4:00
Over 50	< 4:00		Tandem Over 50	< 6:00
Female	< 4:30		Tandem Co-Ed	< 7:00
Team	< 6:30
Male Relay	< 2:00
Female Relay	< 3:00

         The White River members were grouped into three different groups.  The first, a co-ed tandem team, consisted of Firefighter Steve Coover, who is also a Captain with the Bloomington Fire Department, and Sergeant Tania Daffron, (from the Bloomington Fire Department).  In the tandem events, one firefighter performs the first portion of the Challenge and the second performs the remainder.

         The second group consisted of a relay team that participated in the Streamlight Relay event.  The team consisted of Lieutenant Mark Williams who performed the dummy drag, Lieutenant Aaron Bryant who performed the hose drag and slalom course, Engineer Jared Clark who performed the stair climb, Firefighter Justin Walls who performed the hose hoist, and Firefighter Jordan Russell who performed the forcible entry simulator.

         The third group consisted of Engineer Eric Wiseman and Firefighter Dewayne Tiemeyer (from the Franklin Fire Department) who participated in the male tandem relay.  Both also participated in individual competitions as well.  Although Eric did not qualify in the singles event, he posted a 1:57 time which is considered very respectable for the competition.

         More information about the Tyco/Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge can be found by visiting their web site by clicking HERE.  Click HERE for a related story from 2005.
 
   

        
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