Firefighter competition will be held at Riverfest

[five_alarm]

Saturday, July 2 @ 1:00pm
Brockville, ON

The competition "gives firefighters around the area a chance to showcase their physical attributes and their skills," said Riverfest co-ordinator Chris Paul. "We hope to make it an annual event."

Seven area fire departments, including the ones in Gananoque, Leeds and the Thousand Islands, Edwardsburgh-Cardinal, Elizabethtown-Kitley, Brockville, Rideau Lakes and Front of Yonge will be participating in the event. The competition will be based on an obstacle course style, similar to the Scott Air-Pack Fire-Fit Challenge. There will be both team and individual competitions.

"This is something that's never been done at Riverfest before," said Paul, who enlisted the help of Scott Smith and Geoff Lovell in designing the obstacle course and organizing the event.

Source: brockvilleriverfest.ca (http://www.brockvilleriverfest.ca/)

[five_alarm]

BROCKVILLE, ON - Two dozen firefighters taking part in a competition at Riverfest on Saturday weren't the only ones getting in some training. For organizer Chris Paul, the first-ever event was a trial run. A chance to prove Brockville can take the heat of an even bigger competition Paul hopes to land.

Paul is bidding to host in Brockville the 2006 Scott Fire Fit Combat Challenge, an international firefighters' showdown that attracts thousands of spectators and is televised on TSN. "This is something to ramp up to that," said Paul of Saturday's event, adding he wants to keep the local firefighters' battle on the Riverfest roster. "It'll be twice as big É we'll be making it a whole-day event next year if possible," promised Paul, indicating plans are to extend invites to some U.S. fire departments and those farther afield in eastern Ontario.

The six teams taking part in Saturday's two-hour event proved they're ready for the challenge if more departments do show up in '06.

Source: newsfeed.recorder.ca (http://newsfeed.recorder.ca/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=14207)