Arm Amputation Fans Ohio Firefighter's Competitive Nature

Michael Diehl’s competitive nature didn’t go away when he lost his right arm last March in a firehouse accident.

In fact, it’s only fanned those competitive flames more intensely.

Diehl, a volunteer Franklin firefighter, was injured in March 2015 while helping to guide a fire engine back into the station. Diehl’s right arm was shattered after it became pinned between the fire engine backing up and the station house wall. The accident required amputation of his right arm.

Prior to his injury, Diehl competed in various challenges as part of teams or individually, including the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge where he qualified for the event’s World championship in 2010 and 2011. He placed 100th in the individual phase of the World championship.

“My goal is to inspire people to never quit, no matter what gets in the way,” he said. “I believe that hard work always beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Diehl has been training to compete in the Challenge’s first competition on April 21-23 in Indianapolis. That course includes wearing full gear, a mask and air bottle and running up a five-story tower with a 42-pound hose pack. Once on top of the tower, the firefighter has to then pull up another 42-pound hose pack from the ground. After coming down from the tower, the firefighter has to jump on a machine that simulates breaking through a floor or wall with plastic sledge hammer in order move a 165-pound block of steel about five feet.

The next task for the firefighter is to grab a 1-3/4 inch attack line and drag it 75 feet through saloon doors and hit a target about 12 feet away with a force stream of water. The course’s last leg is a 20-foot run and grabbing a 180-pound dummy to pull it backwards 106 feet to the finish line.

These and other events are competed in tandem, relays, co-ed teams, and individually.

Diehl said he’s participating “because they said I can’t (do it).”

Paul Davis, the owner of the Firefighter Combat Challenge competition based in Burtonsville, Md., said the Indianapolis event is the first of about 20 events that will be part of the challenge’s 25 anniversary that will culminate in an international event later this year. He said about 100 firefighters are expected to participate in the Indianapolis event.

While there was a firefighter who was missing part of his leg below his knee who participated in a previous competition, Davis said Diehl will be the first competitor with an upper extremity amputation.

“I was astounded when he did a 175-pound power clean,” Davis said. “He said he intends to run in a tandem event.

Davis said the 42-pound hose hoist (from the top of the five-story tower) could be tough with one arm but is doable if he steps on the rope with each pull.

“There are a lot of people pulling for him,” Davis said. “He’s a determined guy. These kind of people are great role models after such a life-altering experience.”

Diehl, who is also a local pee-wee football coach, said, “I want some little kid to say that ‘because of you, I didn’t quit.’ I don’t want to let them down by giving up (on himself).”

In addition to preparing for the firefighter challenge, the 6-foot-2 inch, 260 pound athlete will be playing semi-pro football as a defensive end this year for two teams — the Ohio Crush, which is based in Dayton; and the Cincinnati Ambassadors, a charity team composed of area police, fire, EMS and military personnel.

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