Waimak firefighters smash records
A team of North Canterbury fire fighters have returned from their most successful national competition ever, the Firefighter Combat Challenge.
Rangiora firefighters Odessa Ellis, Jason Goldsworthy, Amelia Wood and Ed Jackman teamed up with Cust’s Simon East, Rupert Jackman and Sean Jackman for the event.
The competition, held on the Wellington waterfront, pits the fittest firefighters in the country against each other and the clock, in what is known as the ‘‘toughest two minutes in sport’’.
The internationally-run competition involves firefighters running up a six-storey tower carrying a 19kg hose pack, before hauling another hose to the top of the tower then running back down to hammer a 75kg steel beam sled 1.5m.
Without stopping, the competitors next run a slalom course before picking up a 50kg charged hose which is dragged 25m to shoot a target. The final stretch involves dragging the 81kg dummy backwards a distance of 32m to the finish. All of this is achieved while wearing 30kg of fire-fighting gear and breathing air through breathing apparatus.
Rookies Goldsworthy and Ellis competing at their first nationals performed exceptionally well. Goldsworthy in an individual run and then teaming up with Ellis in their first national tandem event. Veterans Sean Jackman and Simon East ran strong individual runs too, with Sean winning the over 50 title.
Amelia Wood took silver in the women’s open and then combined with partner Ed Jackman to win gold in the co-ed tandem event, in a new national record time. Brothers Rupert and Ed Jackman combined in the open male tandem to take out first place. In the individual, Rupert then raced to finish sixth in the very competitive open male individual category.
In the feature race of the day Ed, the defending champion, set a new national record winning the open male category for an unprecedented fourth year in a row.
In the relay event 28 teams battled it out with Waimak’s team of Simon East, Ed, Rupert and Sean Jackman winning in a record time Next up, members of the team are starting to raise funds hoping to attend the World Championships in Sacramento, California in October.