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Firefit Games build skills, teamwork

It’s a high-end competition but ultimately it’s a showing of camaraderie, work ethic that will make two Okotoks firefighters better when they serve their communities.
MD of Foothills firefighter Russ Friesen aims a hose at the Canadian National Firefighters Championships in Kitchener, Ontario in September.
MD of Foothills firefighter Russ Friesen aims a hose at the Canadian National Firefighters Championships in Kitchener, Ontario in September.

It’s a high-end competition but ultimately it’s a showing of camaraderie, work ethic that will make two Okotoks firefighters better when they serve their communities.

MD of Foothills firefighter Russ Friesen was 11th in the over 40 years of age category at the Canadian Firefit Games in Kitchener, Ont. on Sept 19-20. Meanwhile, Okotoks’ Ian McLeod teamed up with Kristopher Hayko to finish eighth in the X3 competition in Kitchener.

Friesen turned in a more-than-respectable time of 1:48.51 in what is called “The toughest two minutes in sport.”

The drills include carrying a 45-pound hose bundle up six-flights of stairs, hoisting the bundle up to the top of the tower and then climb back down the stairs – hitting every step – and at the bottom simulate forcible entry by hitting a weight several times.

Then you are about halfway done.

The firefighters then have to sprint through a pile-on course, pick-up a charged hose and hit a target. Finally, the firefighter has to drag a 175-pound dummy to safety.

Oh, yeah, the competitors are wearing full fire fighting gear including breathing apparatus.

“And that’s it,” the five-foot-seven Friesen said with a chuckle. “My 1:48 was a personal best, but there are guys who are way faster than me. The best in the country comes to the nationals.”

Friesen qualified for national championships through regional competitions in the spring. As well, his time had to be less than two minutes to make the final. His time was 2:11 at regionals, but he cracked the two-minute mark during preliminary rounds in Kitchener to make the final.

“I trained a lot during the summer because I knew the nationals was a cut above,” he said. “You have to be pretty fast in my age category to take a medal… As I’ve gotten older, I realized I have to work harder. You don’t have a lot left in the tank when you are finished.”

These aren’t just obstacles, each station is a simulated stop that local firefighters may face when they fight fires from Nanton to Priddis.

“They are designed specifically to simulate what we do on the fire ground,” Friesen said. “We will go to fires on multi-level structures and during fire situations elevators aren’t accessible, and I have used force-entry on a lot of fire scenes.

“And, of course, dragging a hose you use that on every fire scene. Once a hose is charged, it’s heavy to drag them.”

The camaraderie and teamwork needed at the Games are similar to what happens at a fire, McLeod said.

“A big part of it is the support of each other and knowing how difficult it is,” he said. “You struggle over the finish line, you have no energy left what-so-over, and you sit up and you see the guy you were racing against or with, is still struggling with a dummy or something.

“You shed off all your gear and you try to encourage him and support him with what little energy you have left. It’s a family in the fire department. The big difference between the world record holder at 1:12 and a guy who does if for the first time at five minutes, is people cheer for five minutes than just 1:12.”

Although, McLeod competed in the individual events, it’s the team events he prefers.

The X3 competition had McLeod and his partner splitting the duties of the course. McLeod did the front half, handing the breathing apparatus to Hayko after the force entry drill.

“My times in the individual event is pretty unspectacular,” McLeod said. “I put more emphasis on the team events. I love the co-operation rather than the individual.”

McLeod and Hayko are both firefighters with Canadian National Resources at a site near Fort McMurray. McLeod, a platoon leader, is also a volunteer with the Okotoks fire department.

They finished eighth, in a competition in which two teams set national records.

“Our times got faster as well, but unfortunately not as fast as some of the others,” he said with a laugh.

Friesen said it’s like no other sport.

“It’s the only sport I know where everyone is encouraging each other,” Friesen said. “It spreads the message that fitness is important to fire service. And the competitors take that message back to their fire departments.”

McLeod and Friesen won’t have to travel too far for the next 2016 Firefit Games. They are scheduled for Spruce Meadows in September, just a couple of hose-lengths from Friesen’s Heritage Pointe Station.

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