Top Volunteer Team
Fox Creek Fire Department, was the Top Volunteer Team at the FireFit Leduc Challenge June 9 and 10.
Chris McKennitt
Brian Davidson
Brian won third fastest time in his age category among 139 men. 
Chris and Brian
The banner hanging proudly in the FCFD tent. 
Tyler Plamondon on the left.
Brian and Chris
For each firefighter it was a learning experience. 
We came into the competition with great confidence but also knew that the teams we are racing against are the best in Canada if not the world.
Alberta is hosting 2 competitions for FireFit; Regionals and Nationals are in Edmonton. 
Our team is continually getting faster and more experienced.
Andrew, Shawn, Brian and Chris
They appreciated the other competitors training tips, the cheering crowd and camaraderie at the event.
The FCFD competed against 139 provincial firefighters.
Shawn Watson
The whole team’s individual times have bettered from last fall’s competition, some of us by a full minute.
The competitor sprints 140 ft. and picks up a 1.75 in. diameter charged hose, sprints five more feet with the hose, then drags it an additional 75 ft.
Hose Advance - Competitor releasing the nozzle to spray target once through the swinging doors.
Tyler and Shawn
At the end of the day, this is what it is all about, a happy heart and big smile. Photos by Brandi Bedson
The FCFD competed against 139 provincial firefighters, 28 teams from: Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Calgary, Hinton, Jasper, Fort Saskatchewan, Fort McMurray, Edson and the Kananaskis. For more information checkout: http://www.firefit.com/index.htm.
Individual Times
#70 – Brian - 2:06:50 *Also placing Third place in the Top 40 years category
#95 – Andrew – 2:20:89
#100 – Chris – 2:24:65
#109 – Tyler - 2:31:51
#115 – Shawn - 2:34:52
Team Time
FCFD – #21 – Andrew, Brian and Chris – 6:52:04
Relay Round
#3 – 1:33:24
#13 – 1:36:82
#14 – 1:28:88
“I was really happy how far we all made it and how the whole team’s individual times have bettered from last fall’s competition, some of us by a full minute,” said Brian.
“We came into the competition with great confidence but also knew that the teams we are racing against are the best in Canada if not the world, we beat out all the volunteer teams and a bunch of the fulltime paid departments. There was a 15 second difference between our team’s best time and first place so I am really proud of our team in that respect,” said Brian.
Chris said, “The weekend was great. A big eye opener in what it takes to be an elite team in FireFit. Next year I have some major training to complete if I want to be in the elite group of athletes. Our team is continually getting faster and more experienced, which is a huge motivational effect. I look forward to next year and more competitions to enter next year.”
Shawn, tired, sore and suffering a headache on the weekend, said “It went quite well, we all bettered our times from last year, competed with the best in the world and were the Top Volunteer Team, being a small town department with limited funds, that says it all.”
For each firefighter it was a learning experience. They appreciated the other competitors training tips, the cheering crowd and camaraderie at the event. The rain on Sunday slowed everyone down a bit; there was also a tornado warning on Saturday, forcing the event to come to a quick halt. There was no tornado but massive wind and rain.
The guys had a chance to see some new techniques and know where some of their weaknesses were so they can alter their training regimen to work on them and hopefully shave a few more seconds off their time for next year.
Tyler said, “It went good, beat my last years’ time.” He wishes to thank his girlfriend Tracy for attending, she was very helpful, replenishing the guys hunger pains, keeping them hydrated and cheering. Family, friends and firefighter Patti Burkin also attended.
“I would like to give the biggest thank you out to Jim Zenert for letting our team use the CCS Facility to train whenever we wanted to , without their support it would have been hard to duplicate the type of training we needed,” said Brian.
Looking forward to next year Alberta is hosting two competitions for FireFit; Regionals and Nationals are in Edmonton.
Some departments enter two teams. The FCFD is actively seeking new recruits to join their department.
“We hope to enter two teams in the future,” said Brian.
To give you an idea of the Toughest Two Minute Challenge – the guy’s climbed six flights of stairs while wearing full bunker gear and carrying an air pack. Once at the top, firefighters used a rope pulley to haul additional hoses from the ground to the top.
Next, the men descend to the hammer station, run the obstacle course, while pulling the water hose, and finally shoot at a target. Then they dragged a 170 lb dummy to the finish line. Most of the event was done in pouring rain, wearing wet bunker gear and steel toed boots, nursing sore muscles. Despite the weather, pride and endless determination never left the guy’s faces.
Two Minute Challenge
1. Stair Climb with High Rise Pack
This challenge consists of a 42 lb. hose which must be carried up six flights of stairs. This activity replicates a five story building where water is needed at the top.
The 42 lb. hose is a standard 100 ft., 1.75 in. thick hose. The stairwell consists of six sets of stairs, each with ten steps. The firefighter must carry the hose up the stairs and place it in a container box on the top story of the stairwell.
The hose may not touch the ground at any point before the firefighter places it in the container box. Once the 42 lb. hose is in the box, the firefighter may proceed with the second event, then descend the stairs, touching each tread and holding on to both handrails on each side of the stairway.
On reaching the floor, the firefighter goes onto the next event. Their time is continued and any penalties are added to the final time. Penalties include not touching every step or holding onto the hand rails, which results in a 2 second time addition to their final time per occurrence. The firefighter may also be disqualified if at any time the hose comes off or slides out of the container at the top of the stairway.
2. Hose Hoist - Competitor raising a donut rolled, 42 lb. hose up the 5 story FCC Tower using a hand-over-hand motion, the competitor must pull up a 42 lb hose roll and place it into the box on the top of the 5-story Tower.
The 42 lb. prop is a donut roll of large diameter hose. Time continues from the previous event. Loss of control (i.e., allowing the donut to fall more than one story) will result in disqualification.
3. Forcible Entry-Competitor hitting 160 lb. beam with 9 lb. sledgehammer.
The forcible entry simulator used is called the Keiser force machine. It is a highly sought after simulated forcible entry-chopping device developed and manufactured by Keiser Corporation specifically for the fire service.
It provides an efficient and durable means of training or testing individuals such as firefighters who use axes and sledgehammers in their occupation.
This event simulates a firefighter breaking down a door or wall to enter a burning building. In this challenge, the firefighter stands over a 160 lb. beam. They must slam a nine-pound sledgehammer into the beam until the beam moves five feet.
The firefighter must keep both hands below a tape-marked line on the sledgehammer, and only contact the beam with the head of the sledgehammer.
This tape marked line is 1 ft. down from the head of the sledgehammer. The upper edge of the beam is covered with a pressure sensitive tape that makes contacts other than by the head of the sledgehammer visible.
The firefighter receives a warning for the first handle strike. Any hit by the handle afterwards adds five seconds to the final time. Pushing and raking of the beam is not allowed and is grounds for disqualification.
At the first hit, time continues from the previous event. The event is complete once the competitor places the sledgehammer on a platform at the end of the 5 ft. distance. The entire sledgehammer must be placed on the two by 3 ft. platform before the firefighter goes to the next event.
4. Hose Advance- Competitor releasing the nozzle to spray target once through the swinging doors
The fourth challenge is the Hose advance. This simulates a firefighter running from a fire engine towards a close fire. The competitor sprints 140 ft and picks up a 1.75 in. diameter charged (pressurized with water) hose, sprints five more feet with the hose, then drags it an additional 75 fee.
Once at the 75 ft line and through the swinging doors, the competitor must then open the hose nozzle, releasing water onto a small target. After hitting the target, they must close the nozzle and drop the hose, which completes the event.
The hose nozzle may only be opened once the nozzle opens the swinging doors; if the nozzle is opened earlier a 2 second penalty is added to the final time. If the competitor does not close the nozzle, they must come back close the nozzle and then resume the final event.
5. Victim Rescue – Competitor dragging mannequin from behind down the 100ft runway.
The firefighter removes a victim from a fire as quickly as possible to save the victim from injury. A 175 lb. mannequin must be picked up from the ground, grabbed from behind, and dragged backwards 100 ft.
The competitor may not pick up the mannequin off the ground and must drag it backwards at all points of time. Then competition has ended and time is stopped. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefighter’s_Combat_Challenge).
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Category: Brandi, News, People in FOCUS
I beleive these competition are Good Training and well deserved entertainment for thier hard work volunteering of thier countless hours of thier time.
Fox Creek and County residents realize how luckly they are to have such a fine Volunteer Department and so do many travellers of Hwy 43 who have been rescued by the Rescue Crew.
The high placement also show how they rank against other department even beating other paid departments.
Excellent Guys and all the best to you all.