MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.
For once, the sound of a siren was good news for Iqaluit firefighter Mark Dainton, who finished his circuit at the World Firefighter Combat Challenge in record time.
Dainton hammers back a 150-lb weight on the Kaiser machine, which simulates forcible entry. - photo courtesy of Mark Dainton
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The six-day "puking-hard" competition held this past November in the South Carolina heat rewards competitors who finish under one minute and 40-seconds in what's touted as "the toughest two minutes in sport."
"Your legs are completely done," said Dainton. "You look at some of these guys and they make it look so easy. Nothing compares to these events – nothing."
Dainton and volunteer firefighter Michael Hatch marked the first time anyone from the Iqaluit Fire Department has competed at the event. The challenge is designed to simulate the first two minutes on scene for a firefighter.
Competitors climb six flights or stairs – typically, two at a time – carrying a hose; hoist from the ground a 19-kg doughnut roll of extra equipment; pound back a 68-kg weight on the Kaiser machine to simulate forcible entry, run an obstacle course and finally hit a target with a hose.
Dainton, who finished with a best personal time of 1:38, and Hatch, 2:05, trained with practically none of the equipment available to other departments' competitors – no dummies, no decked-out staircase. "We did it with nothing," said Dainton.
Dainton officially finished 46th out of 300-plus firefighters from around the world, and was one of only 20 new people inducted into what's called the "Lion's Den" for his best time.
Of course, it's more than a competition. Teams meet and trade shirts with fire departments from around the world from New Zealand, Poland, Slovenia, and now Nunavut.
"It's a big brotherhood down there," said Dainton, who sported a NuSchool hunter shirt and was endlessly asked where they were from. "That's the cool part of it."
Dainton says he will no doubt return to the competition next year held in Las Vegas. His lesson learned from the competition this year was simple: "I learned that I can go faster."
