Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
When it comes to the skills needed to fight fires and rescue victims, preparedness is second only to the physical ability to get the job done. Both attributes are what teams of firefighters all over the world are preparing to showcase at this year’s Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge (SFCC), which was developed as a way to encourage firefighter fitness, and to demonstrate to the public the physical challenges associated with the job.
Firefighters form an elite core of public servants and some of them work tirelessly to develop on the job skills and physical dexterity to compete for national titles.
Among those top competitors is the 2018 Grand National Champion team from Huntley who is gearing up for the 2019 competitive season. Firefighters Josh Roddy, Scott Sundquist, Eric Rose, and Eric Blaser form a local team called Huntley Fire. They are the first Illinois team in history to win the Grand National title at the SFCC, dubbed by ESPN as the toughest two minutes in sports. All of the members of the Huntley team have completed the challenge in less than 100 seconds, which places each of them in the Lion’s Den, an elite category of the SFCC and the highest recognized achievement for individuals in the SFCC.
The sport entails competing against other teams in a series of seven events that represent tasks firefighters routinely face while on the job. These include climbing a 5-story tower wearing full gear, breathing apparatus, and a 42 lb. hose pack; hoisting a 42 lb. roll of hose up the five-story tower; descending the tower hitting every step; the Keiser sled in which competitors force a 165 lb. steel beam a distance of five feet using a 9 lb. shot mallet; running a slalom through cones in full gear; carrying a 200-lb charged hose 75 feet through saloon doors to spray a target; and finally carrying a 6-foot tall, 175 lb. mannequin 106 feet to the finish line.
A very family-focused sport, the SFCC offers a Kids Firefighter Challenge at many of the regional events, where kids of all ages are outfitted with size-appropriate helmets and turn out coats and compete in challenges designed to mimic the SFCC events.
The sport is open to any firefighter. Firefighters can compete as individuals or as teams of three to five people. There are also opportunities for relay teams and tandem teams at each event. For firefighters interested in trying their hand at competition, registration is underway for the season kick-off during the FDIC in Indianapolis, IN, on April 11-13. Firefighters can register online at www.firefighterchallenge.com.
