SAPULPA, Okla. -- In 39 seconds, firefighter Nathan Kragel had transformed from his civilian appearance to full-blown firefighter, ready to battle a blaze.
All of the firefighters with the Sapulpa Fire Department competed to "bunk out" the fastest. Kragel was the only one to break the 40-second mark.
Fire Chief Danny Whitehouse said having the firefighters race to get fully prepared for a fire and scrutinized makes sure they maintain the highest safety standards when they do head to a fire and helps build morale and camaraderie among the ranks.
"You make anything a contest, and they'll get after it," Whitehouse said. "We could be eating hot dogs, and they'll make a competition out of it."
And the competition among the three shifts over three days was tight. The winning squad had an average of 57 seconds." Despite Kragel's blazing time, his shift was the slowest of the three, but only at 59 seconds.
That is in the range of their goal for "receiving an alarm and responding out in less than a minute," Whitehouse said.
The firefighters start by laying out their equipment -- boots, pants, jacket, air tank, mask, helmet and gloves.
On the mark, they start by jumping into the boots, throwing the suspenders up and jacket on, with their reflective equipment flying through the air.
"It's the most basic skill," Whitehouse said. "If you don't (practice), it deteriorates."
The firefighters were docked five seconds if they had any skin showing after they clapped their hands, to signal that they were finished.
"We want them to do it fast, but we want them to be safe," Whitehouse said.
Firefighter Forrest Fields finished in 57 seconds. He said the key is how you prepare.
"All it boils down to is how you lay your stuff down and how you throw it on," he said.
Each of the firefighters seemed to have his own strategy for how to approach the pile of equipment at his feet.
Captain Mitch Long, who has worked for the Sapulpa Fire Department for 22 years, said he hasn't had to throw on the fire equipment quickly in several years.
But his institutional knowledge guided his tip.
He added to Field's strategy: "And how you recover from a hitch."
Jacket zippers gave several people trouble. Missing a strap could cost them five seconds.
Rookies coming out of the academy must complete the exercise in less than a minute to pass their final test.
Six of the firefighters Wednesday were rookies, including Kragel.
All made it in less than 60 seconds.
As each firefighter stepped up, fellow firefighters would cheer and offer encouragement, which is another part of Whitehouse's goal with the exercise.
"Everybody does pretty well," Kragel said, trying to be modest about his time.
"You've got everybody cheering them on and excited about it. It's good for everybody."
Copyright 2012 - Tulsa World, Okla.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
