Firefit Challenge in Fox Creek

By Rechell McDonald

If you want to witness an exciting, high-energy competition, then you need to get down to Fox Creek on June 18 and 19. The Firefit Challenge brings together firefighters, young and old, new and experienced, to battle against one another in a difficult skills competition.

Competitors must all be trained firefighters, but volunteer fighters participate as well. Firefit takes place across the country, and saw its start in 1994 in Vancouver at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). The competition was received so well that it took off from there. It has grown so much over the last two decades that the one-hour championship competition is even aired on TSN.

Some events you can expect to see in the competition are the team relay (which showcases a variety of firefighting skills), the X3 relay (more challenging two-member team event), the individual event which demonstrates many of the same skills seen in relay but all by a single person, and the team event.

Onlookers will see a variety of participants from rookies to vets, men and women, young and old! This promises to be quite the show and Fox Creek will be the host for the Northern Prairie Regionals. So far the event has participants from Calgary, Fort McMurray, Leduc, and Grande Prairie, and is still open for registration. There was to be an event in Fort McMurray which had to be cancelled for obvious reasons, so you can expect to see a big turnout of firefighters from Fort McMurray in the Fox Creek competition.

This is a great way to show your support for all the hardworking men and women who spend every summer battling forest fires to keep us safe, and those who dedicate their entire lives to ensure Canadians are safe in their homes year round. Firefighters are first responders, often arriving at accident scenes and emergency calls before an ambulance. Not only do they risk their lives by walking toward a fire, but they are trained medical professionals who pull us from car wrecks, offer intervention during natural disasters and, yes, on occasion pull an animal from a frozen lake, or tall tree.

So, get out there this weekend and show your appreciation. Visit firefit.com for more information or to register.