NYSAFC was pleased to host the popular SCOTT Firefighter Combat Challenge® during the 107th Annual Conference & FIRE 2013 Expo at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona, N.Y. Numerous teams and individuals, including some firefighters from New York state, competed in the grueling event on June 14 and15.
The exciting firematic contest, televised for years on ESPN, annually attracts hundreds of U.S. and Canadian municipal fire departments at more than 25 locations and is now expanding to countries around the world. It was previously held in conjunction with the NYSAFC Annual Conference and FIRE ’99 Expo in Syracuse, N.Y.
The Challenge seeks to encourage firefighter fitness and demonstrate the profession's rigors to the public. Wearing full bunker gear and the SCOTT Air-Pak breathing apparatus, pairs of competitors race head-to-head as they simulate the physical demands of real life firefighting by performing a linked series of five tasks including climbing the five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses, and rescuing a life-sized, 175-pound "victim" as they race against themselves, their opponent, and the clock.
The following are the top finishers during competitions held at FIRE 2013:
Team Category
1. Wendy’s of Fredericton (Canada)
2. Barrie Fire (Canada)
3. Team Weddle Tools (VA)
Top 10 Male Individuals
1. Mark Dainton – Iqaluit Fire Department (Canada)
2. Darren Van Zandbergen – Oakville Team Levitt Safety (Canada)
3. Justin Beliveau – Hattiesburg Fire Department (MS)
4. Louis Boiteau – Hamilton Fire Department (Canada)
5. John Betts – Wendy’s of Fredericton (Canada)
6. David Bowman – Charlotte Fire Department (NC)
7. Daniel Garner – Pittsfield Fire Department (MA)
8. Jean-Francois Doucet – Longueuil (Canada)
9. Max Laframboise – Barrie Fire (Canada)
10. Marc-Andre Gosselin – Longueuil (Canada)
Over 40
1. Darren VanZandbergen – Oakville Team Levitt Safety (Canada)
2. David Bowman – Charlotte Fire Department (NC)
3. Jim Ziter – Pittsfield Fire Department (MA)
Over 50
1. Denis Leduc – Lanark Fire (Canada)
2. Stephen McAleer – Wendy's of Fredericton (Canada)
3. David Beliveau – Hartford Fire Department (CT)
Male Tandem
1. East Coasters (Canada) – Dave Nicolle & John Betts
2. Best Friends Forever (Canada) – Louis Boiteau & Mark Dainton
3. Klaus & The Sauce (Canada) – Max Laframboise & Brian Klassen
Over 40 Tandem
1. 50 & Almost (Canada) – Denis Leduc & Keith Rigby
Over 50 Tandem
1. First In Training Tandem – Chuck LeBlanc & David Costa
2. One More Time (Springfield, MA) – Christ DiPietro & Ed Garcia
3. Belleville Old 117 – Brian Jones & Ed Keuning
Co-Ed Tandem
1. Malletts Bay Fire Department/Latham Fire Department >50 Co-Ed Tandem – Stephen Bourassa & Allison Loebs
Relay Teams
1. Wendy’s of Fredericton (Canada)
2. Team BFPE (PA)
3. Barrie Fire (Canada)
Teams, communities, and agencies represented in the Combat Challenge at FIRE 2013 include:
Click here to learn more about the SCOTT Firefighter Combat Challenge®. Visit the Combat Challenge Flickr photostream and NYSAFC's Flickr photostream to view more photos from the Combat Challenge at Verona, N.Y.
New York State Association of Fire Chiefs