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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, January 8, 2010 · 8 Oakville firefighter part of Canadian team in Dubai competition By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF He's competed against the best in the world and now one of Oakville's top firefighters is heading to the Middle East to show them how it's done. Shaun Henderson, 28, is leaving for United Arab Emirate State of Dubai Wednesday on a once-in-a-lifetime journey that will see Henderson not only teach Emirati firefighters the finer points of the intense obstacle course known as Firefighter Shaun Henderson Combat Challenge, but participate in the first such challenge ever held in Dubai. A seven-year veteran of the Oakville Fire Department, Henderson was one of only 13 firefighters selected from across Canada to participate in the groundbreaking event. "It's an honour to be selected," he said. 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Firefit, the organization, which has developed and administered firefighter training in Canada since 1994, was responsible for the selection of the Canadian firefighters attending the Dubai challenge and noted its choices had more to do with leadership qualities and the ability to be good ambassadors of the sport than years of service. The fact that Henderson recently came in first in the tandem relay competition of the 2009 World Firefighter Combat Challenge in Las Vegas probably did little to hurt his chances of being chosen. The obstacle course at which Henderson excelled in Las Vegas and on which he will be instructing Emirati firefighters in Dubai, is an extremely intense one, geared towards making firefighters better able to do their jobs. "It makes work so much easier," said Henderson, in a previous interview. "It makes going to an apartment fire, scaling up to the 18th floor, just not as much work as it was before. The skills you need are applied there, the strength, the conditioning and working off an (oxygen) pack." Clad in full firefighter gear, including a breathing apparatus, and carrying a 50-pound packed up hose, the participant must first race up a five-storey tower. Once at the top of the tower the participant drops the hose being carried and then hoists up a second hose from the ground below. When this is complete the participant must race down the tower and complete the force machine process of the obstacle course. This essentially involves hitting a 160-pound block with an eightpound sledgehammer until the block has been driven a certain distance. "It simulates breaking through a door or breaking through a roof with an axe," said Henderson. "You're doing this all on (oxygen), so at this point you are just completely fatigued." With the force machine complete, the participant then runs to a waterfilled hose, which is dragged for eight feet before being used to extinguish a target. The participant then grabs a 185pound rescue mannequin, which needs to be dragged about 100 feet backward. Henderson's first job in Dubai will be to get the Emirati firefighters ready for this gruelling experience. "We're running a three-day training camp," he said. "They've shipped over the actual course that we com- pete on here so we'll be going over techniques, training regiments, workouts, diet, race preparation, all that stuff." This preparation period will be followed by a two-day competition, which will include firefighters from all seven states within the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm alQuwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah, as well as other Middle Eastern nations such as Saudi Arabia. While one Emirati team participated at last year's Firefit Competition in Canada, Henderson notes the Canadian firefighters will be the team to beat as collectively it has the most experience. "Because we're just showing them how, they are definitely going to be a little bit behind us in time, but I expect them to make huge gains over the week as long as their fitness level is up and it should be because they've had a year to prepare for this," said Henderson. While much of Henderson's time will be spent either training or competing, he will have the opportunity to do some sightseeing and notes he is looking forward to seeing the recently opened Burj Khalifa, which at more than 800 metres is the world's tallest tower. Henderson, who is paying for his wife and child's airfare so they could join him, noted there are cultural differences that he will have to adjust to while in Dubai, like the cultural habit of napping in the afternoon. Henderson must also wear sweatpants when training, as opposed to shorts, due to the country's rules concerning modesty. Oakville Fire Chief Richard Boyes, who gave Henderson the time off to attend the competition, noted the Oakville Fire Department is proud of Henderson for doing so well in the Firefighter Combat Challenge that his talents are being exported to Dubai. Boyes said the Oakville Fire Department's competitive team is growing thanks to Henderson's help. "We've gotten new recruits on board and he's managed to recruit team members and we're now proud to say we have a combat challenge team to go to the competitions." Henderson noted he is thankful for the support the team has received so far, but said the team is looking for sponsors so it can participate in more events. Anyone interested in helping the fire department in these efforts can call 905-845-6601, ext. 3602.