AN OFF-DUTY LOOK AT ON-THE-JOB SKILLS ANNUAL FIREFIGHTER CHALLENGE SET TO AIR.Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. - TV viewers will get to see firefighters display their strength and endurance in a grueling competition that featured teams from throughout North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , including an Edwards Air Force Base squad. The firefighters, dressed in full firefighting 1. firefighting - What sysadmins have to do to correct sudden operational problems. An opposite of hacking. "Been hacking your new newsreader?" "No, a power glitch hosed the network and I spent the whole afternoon fighting fires." 2. gear, faced such challenges as carrying a 45-pound pack up a five-story tower and dragging a 175-pound dummy for 100 feet at the Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championship, highlights of which ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network 2 will broadcast. ``Everything on that course simulates what you do on the job,'' Edwards firefighter Dennis Devera said. ``There are few competitions that have a purpose and relate to a job.'' ESPN 2 is tentatively scheduled to air the Firefighter Combat Challenge final at 11 a.m. Jan. 11 (Pacific time) and 12:30 p.m. Jan. 24. In addition to Devera, the Edwards team included Neal Eggers Eggers may refer to:
David Roland Rodriguez was born and raised in Houston, Texas. and Sam Billington. It is not known whether any of the Edwards team will be featured in the broadcasts, but viewers will get a flavor of the competition the team went through. Held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 in Deerfield Beach Deerfield Beach, town (1990 pop. 46,325), Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; inc. 1925. The development of high-technology industry and commerce expanded the town and more than doubled its population between 1970 and 1990. , Fla., the competition had five events. The first is the High Rise Pack Carry, in which the firefighter carries a 45-pound pack up a tower and places it in a box. That is followed by the Hose Hoist, in which the firefighter has to pull up a 45-pound roll of hose and place it in a box. The third event is Forcible Entry forcible entry n. the crime of taking possession of a house or other structure, or land by the use of physical force or serious threats against the occupants. , in which the firefighter uses a 9-pound mallet mallet, n a hammering instrument. mallet, hard, n a small hammer with a leather-, rubber-, fiber-, or metal-faced head; used to supply force or to supplement hand force for the compaction of foil or amalgam and to seat cast to drive a 160-pound steel beam back five feet. The event simulates a firefighter venting the roof of a house. The fourth event is the Hose Advance. The competitor runs through an obstacle course obstacle course n. 1. A training course filled with obstacles, such as ditches and walls, that must be negotiated speedily by troops undergoing training or participants in an obstacle race. 2. and grabs a fire hose and pulls it a distance of 75 feet. Once the hose crosses the 75-foot mark, the firefighter then has to use the hose to hit a small target. Capping the events is the Victim Rescue, featuring a 175-pound dummy, which the firefighter has to drag backward a distance of 100 feet. About 150 different fire departments from throughout North America were represented at the competition. Edwards placed 41st in the team event with a time of 6 minutes, 15.36 seconds. The Edwards firefighters participate in about five or six competitions each year. There are tryouts for the team, typically held in mid-February, Devera said. ``It keeps me in shape for the job,'' said Devera, who played linebacker at Rosamond High School where he graduated in 1997. ``I like to work out and keep in shape, but it's better if you have a reason to do it.'' The Edwards team practices the events four times a week. A practice course is set up behind a fire station on the base's flight line. To simulate the tower portion of the competitions, the firefighters use the base's control tower. ``We run up the stairs with 50-pound vests six or seven times,'' said Devera, a firefighter at Edwards for five years. ``We run up and back, rest for a minute and run up again. After the fourth or fifth time you have to walk.'' The firefighter competition was created in 1991 and actually evolved from tests devised in the mid-1970s for firefighter applicants. The world championships have been televised by ESPN since 1993. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Edwards Air Force Base firefighter Neal Eggers, left, of the 95th Civil Engineer Fire Protection Division, drags a 175-pound dummy in the annual Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championship, held earlier this year in Florida. At right is firefighter Matt Kerns of Missoula, Mont. ESPN 2 will air highlights of the competition in January. U.S. Air Force |
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