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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, May 20, 2010 · 8 Firefighters prove their mettle in combat challenge By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Oakville's firefighters have come out on top again, this time at the Marlborough, Massachusetts Firefighter Combat Challenge. The event, which took place at Marlborough's Solomon Pond Mall this past weekend, saw Oakville's firefighter team of Shaun Henderson, Dave Walker, Mark Tyler and Shawn Turner square off against firefighters not only from a number of U.S. states, but also other Canadian firefighters from New Brunswick and Québec. Competition was intense with a total of 75 firefighters tackling a complex obstacle course in full firefighter gear to see who could complete it with the best time. The Oakville team prevailed achieving second place as a team and second place in the relay category while Henderson and Hamilton firefighter Louis Boiteau came first in the tandem (two-person relay) category. Henderson chalked up the group's success to more team members and more training. "We've got a lot of team members this year and we're getting a lot of training sessions in. We're at the training centre in Oakville probably two or three times a week," he said. Henderson has previously stated the competition's value goes far beyond its ability to entertain or the notoriety it brings to the profession. "It makes work so much easier," he said. "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. At the top, the participant drops the hose and hoists a second hose from the ground below. Then, they race down the tower to hit a 160pound block with an eight-pound sledgehammer, simulating breaking through a door or a wall with an axe. The participant then runs to a water-filled hose, drags it eight feet and uses it to extinguish a target. They they drag a 185-pound rescue mannequin, 100 feet backward. SUBMITTED PHOTO WINNERS: The Oakville Fire Department's team of Shaun Henderson, Dave Walker, Mark Tyler and Shawn Turner celebrated top finishes in events at the recent Firefighter Combat Challenge in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Henderson has competed in numerous Firefighter Combat Challenges, taking first in the tandem category in last year's world championships in Las Vegas. This was Walker and Tyler's second competition and for Turner, who has been with the department six months, it was his first competition. "That first one of the year is always the hardest. Just to get the feet wet again and to come out like we did was great," he said. Henderson said dragging the 185pound dummy at the end is the most challenging. "You have no energy by that time. You know how important it is to finish that task with a good time so it's more of a mental grind, just pushing your body to the limit." To rank among the best, the obstacle course needs to be completed in less than two minutes. Henderson and Boiteau completed it in one minute and 23.38 seconds. The Oakville team has more competitions in the future with the next Firefighter Combat Challenge taking place in Brantford on July 1. The Oakville team also plans to attend competitions in Montreal, Halifax, Windsor, the National Championships in Brampton on Labour Day and the World Championships in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in November. As it costs a lot of money to travel to these destinations, the Oakville team is looking for sponsorship and anyone interested can call 905-8456601, ext. 3602. BKB Kitchen & Bath · Custom cabinetry at modular prices · · Full range of traditional and contemporary styles · · Over 30 years experience · · 3D designs and complete installation/renovation services · Quality cabinetry from Option Kitchen Made in Canada www.optionkitchen.com A division of 887593 Ontario Ltd. 461 North Service Road West Unit B1, Oakville Phone: (905) 825-5200 · Fax: (905) 8276339