Volunteer firefighters from the Chilliwack River Valley Volunteer Fire Department will be hosting competitors from around the country this weekend to compete in the first SCOTT FireFit event of the season. On May 16 and 17 at the Chilliwack Fish and Game Club (48685 Chilliwack Lake Road), over 80 firefighters will compete against the clock to complete a series of tasks that mimic the physical challenges typically faced in emergency situations.
Wearing full gear that can weigh in excess of 30 kg, competitors start by running up six flights of stairs carrying a 20 kg hose, placing it in the designated area, and then hoist up another 20 kg hose before running back down the stairs. The next grueling phase has firefighters driving a steel beam 1.5 m using a 4 kg mallet and then running 50 m to spray a target with a live hose. As if that weren’t enough, the final leg sees competitors dragging an 80 kg mannequin 30 m to the finish line.
“It’s pretty intense,” says Fire Chief Mike Danyluk. “The course gives the public a great opportunity to see the kind of training firefighters go through. The Chilliwack River Valley Volunteer Fire Department is very pleased to be hosting FireFit here in our community.”
Hilary McRoberts, executive vice president of operations for SCOTT FireFit says, “The event is often called the toughest two minutes in sports. Not only does it require significant upper and lower body strength to carry out these tasks, competitors also need to have excellent cardiovascular strength.”
The public is invited to attend the entire weekend’s competition.
Schedule of events
May 16
10:30 am – Opening ceremonies
11 am – Competition begins
12:30 pm – Auto extrication demonstration
Charity BBQ all day ($4 burger/hot dog/smokey and pop)
May 17
8 a.m. – Charity Pancake Breakfast ($4 for pancakes and sausage)
9:30 a.m. – Relay Competition begins