Lugging a water-filled fire hose, scurrying up a ladder propped against a high-rise or dragging adults to safety are duties firefighters regularly perform as part of their jobs.
At the On-Target Firefighter Challenge, a national competition today and Saturday, firefighters from across the country will showcase their talents and athleticism during the competition with their peers.
"It's to promote firefighter fitness and let the community meet the people that do a job for them," said Capt. Heath Scurfield of Horry County Fire Rescue, who helped organize the event, dubbed the "Blast at the Beach III," hosted by the Bass Pro Shop at Colonial Mall-Myrtle Beach.
"This is a reminder of some of the things that firefighters have to do on a daily basis," he said.
As part of the timed competition, participants, wearing full gear including a breathing apparatus, will have to climb a five-story tower, pull a 45-pound hose, use a mallet to strike a metal object and drag a 175-pound dummy backward - tasks firefighters are trained to perform.
The top finishers will receive prizes and a chance to qualify for the world competition this winter in Florida.
Colin Kendall, a spokesman with Maryland-based On-Target, which runs the event, said the local competition will be one of the largest regional challenges in the 14 years of the event.
As of Thursday afternoon, 110 participants from as far away as California and Washington had registered, Scurfield said.
Horry County Fire Rescue will be among the teams trying to qualify for the world competition. Horry County will have two five-member teams taking part in the relays and half that number in the individual competition.
"I love the competition and the camaraderie of meeting firefighters from across the country," said Michael Medeiros, a local participant.
Besides their own personal training, firefighters work on their conditioning, endurance and cardiovascular fitness as a group, Medeiros said.
About a month before the competition, they don their gear and go through a simulated course. "We're pretty much on the same level physically, so it comes down to the mental, and it gets pretty intense when you get out on the course," Medeiros said.
To qualify for the world championship, men must complete the course in less than two minutes and women in less than six minutes.
The weekend event also will feature a combat challenge for children, and the coed-tandem challenge will make its debut, Scurfield said.
When 4 to 10 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Kids crawl, drag and squirt 6 to 9 p.m. today
Firefighter relays 7 to 10 p.m. today
Individual challenges 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Distributed by the Associated Press
