Professional and volunteer firefighters test their skills on Wellington’s waterfront this weekend in the United Fire Brigades’ Association (UFBA) Firefighter Challenge.
140 competitors face the multifaceted course in both team and individual competitions.
Billed as the toughest two minutes in sport, competitors begin by carrying an 18kg inner tube six floors.
They then pull another 18kg hose to the top of the tower before heading back down where they have to hit a 70kg weight with a rubber mallet.
Firefighters will test their skills in Wellington.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Next comes the slalom to cross markers in the form of fire hydrants to a loaded fire hose. You have to pull the hose through barn doors, shoot at a target and finally drag an 81kg dummy 30 meters to the finish line.
The course takes a team of volunteers just one day to set up, with everything included to replicate the work of firefighters on the ground.
Mossburn Volunteer Fire Department Chief Firefighter Jeff Manson has been taking part in the challenge for over 10 years and is back this year despite having a pacemaker fitted in July 2022.
“I thought I would never do the firefighter challenge again. But I decided to give it a try and my heart said yes go for it. It gets in your blood and you can’t get rid of it.
Mossburn Volunteer Firefighter Jeff Manson has been participating in the challenge for 10 years.
Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
“At 57 I need to slow down as one of the older members I guess my wife tells me but I’m enjoying it so much. Just the camaraderie, the friendship, the networking, everything that benefits It.”
Manson has been in the Volunteer Brigade and UFBA for 37 years, and while he’s had to change his training over the years, he’s not tired of it.
“You get a buzz, an absolute buzz. At 57, I expect that buzz will go away, but it hasn’t happened yet.
“What I love is that everyone talks to everyone, whether you’re the top competitor or me at the other end of the field, and the top competitors are all encouraging you to help encourage them.”
Firefighters gather at the Firefighter Challenge in Wellington this weekend.
Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
Manson is aiming for a modest time of under four minutes but said he’s happy just to be involved.
“For me, my goal is to get to the end of the course and if I can do that, I’ve achieved it.”
MC for the event, Jason Prendergast, said while the course itself has not changed over time, the firefighters’ attitude has only become more determined.
“The way they have been training, the way they are treating the course has gotten a lot better and so the times are getting faster and faster. Some of the elite times that we will see (Saturday) as our highlights will be as fast as we have ever seen.
Firefighters gather at the Firefighter Challenge in Wellington this weekend.
Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
“They’re doing all of this for fun as a spirit of competition, but more importantly, they’re doing it so we can better get out there and save the community in times of need.”
While many are there just for the physical challenge, some have their sights set on the Lion’s Den award.
This is awarded to the top competitors who complete the challenge course in a set time.
Prendergast said he already has his eyes open for this weekend’s event.
“We have 50 Lions in New Zealand at the moment. I have five in mind that I think could make it this weekend.”
Jodie Reymer, firefighter for the Pirongia Rural Fire Brigade, is one of those Lions who accomplished the feat in their first event in 2018.
Jodie Reymer, firefighter for the Pirongia Rural Fire Brigade.
Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
She said she trained on a replication class once a week, along with fitness training for the five months leading up to the challenge.
So what goes through a Lion’s mind during the course?
“Survive, get to the end as soon as possible. Yes, you just want to hit everything as hard as possible and try to get as much air into your lungs as possible.
Firefighters will test their skills in Wellington.
Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
“I think the level is becoming more and more professional. Everyone pushes themselves harder and pushes each other harder.”
The challenge continues throughout Saturday in the capital.
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