Firefighters put skills to the test
Firefighters from around the country are gathering in Feilding to demonstrate their skills behind the wheel.
The United Fire Brigades’ Association National Drivers Challenge has brought 80 fire crews together to put their fire trucks through their paces in a series of challenging manoeuvres at Manfeild yesterday and today.
Association chief executive Bill Butzbach said the annual event was a fun way to test important skills because, statistically, the journey to a fire or other emergency was the most dangerous part of a firefighter’s job.
‘‘The skill involved in safely driving an 8 to 12 ton appliance ... while in response to an emergency cannot be understated.’’
Manfeild events and marketing manager Stephanie Dench said the public was welcome to attend as the firefighters were put through their paces between 9am and 4pm today.
‘‘This [is] an opportunity for the public to see something of the skills of these often unsung heroes.’’
It is more than just a hot lap of the track. The 11 challenges range from whipping the trucks through a series of shrinking, sharp bends at 45-50kmh, without hitting any road cones, to emergency braking and parallel parking.
Each exercise was designed to test drivers’ awareness of their surroundings, ability to make quick judgments, and the drivers were assessed on their overall ability, efficiency and smooth handling of the trucks.
Jonathan Everett, of the Seddon Volunteer Fire Brigade, said fire truck drivers needed to be confident in their ability to handle the large vehicles when they were racing to a job with lights flashing and sirens screaming.
‘‘And you’ve got to remember the other four [firefighters] onboard too. You need to get them there in one piece, and not too shaken.
‘‘You don’t want to get there and have the guys get out and throw up.’’