November 18, 2007

Team competes with World's best

       One part-time firefighter and four Cadet Firefighters from the White River Township Fire Department participated November 4^th in the Tyco/Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge-World Challenge XVI event in Las Vegas, Nevada under the canopy on Fremont St.  Cadet firefighters are high school students who wish to pursue a career as a firefighter and receive training and education while still in school in order to propel them after graduation.  Last year, a team made up of only Cadet firefighters competed and qualified for the World Championship.  Since that time, Kyle Blue has become a part-time firefighter with the fire department and returned to compete with two others from last year, Chris Pelley and Chris Flack.  The two new participants were Paul Cloyd and Sasha Davis.  The team this year called "WRTFD Under 21", first competed In Evansville, Indiana and was able to finish with two qualifying times of 1:47:68 and 1:45:51.

         The Team members used their own money along with fundraising to pay for their trip to Las Vegas to compete with the best in the world.  This year the Event was dedicated to Kip Hall, an El Paso, Texas Firefighter and Firefighter Combat Challenge competitor who was diagnosed with Brain Cancer in June and Passed away in October.  See a tribute to Kip Hall by clicking HERE.  In honor of Kip, Shirts were made for purchase to help his family.  The team wore these shirts under their gear when they competed.  Just prior to competing, they were thanked by one of Kip’s El Paso Teammates.

         “The Team showed an incredible amount of determination”, said Steve Coover, a Fire Prevention Officer for the White River Township Fire Department and also the team's coach.  “The trip was short. They had to deal with the dry air, the time change, and the spectacle surrounding the event, but performed extraordinary”, he added.

         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.
    

          Individuals or teams wanting to compete in the World Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada in November must first qualify at one of approximately nineteen regional events by meeting or exceeding a minimum time score.
 

           

           
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