Windsor is going to host some of the fittest firefighters in North America during FIREFEST 2023.
Windsor Fire and Rescue Services and the City of Windsor have announced the FireFit Western Ontario Regional will be held in the city during FIREFEST.
The FireFit competition is based on firefighting tasks commonly performed in emergency situations, like running up five stories, drawing and aiming a fully loaded fire hose, and carrying victims – all while wearing full firefighting equipment.
Windsor Fire and Rescue Services Chief Stephen Laforet told AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides it's a gruelling competition when you look at everything the competitors have to do.
"A five-storey climb with full firefighting gear, which weighs around 80 lbs. and that's what every firefighter wears on a call today. It's not just the one thing they do, they drag a fully filled fire hose, they simulate chopping through a roof, they run an obstacle course in the middle of it," he says.
Laforet says their event proceeds the Canadian championships the following weekend in Sarnia.
"So it really is one more chance for all the competitors to hone their skills and tune up for that next event. We imagine it's a regional event and we're going to see a lot of firefighters from southwestern Ontario, but I think we'll se a lot from across the province," he says.
Laforet says that along with the competition, there will be events for the community to take part in as well.
"We're going to have the run with responders, a 5K run that will go off on Sept. 9. On Sept. 8, Transition to Betterness is hosting the T2B Rescue Relays. That's a corporate challenge for corporations to put a team in and try their hand at some of the events that some of the competitors will do on Sept. 9 and 10," he adds.
FIREFEST 2023 will run from Friday, Sept. 8, through Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023.
It will include the following showcase competitions:
- T2B Rescue Relays - Community, Fire Station and Media Obstacle Course (Sept. 8)
- Tug Across the River (Sept. 9)
- Five-kilometre (5K) Run with First Responders (Sept. 9)
- FireFit Western Ontario Regional Championship (Sept. 9 and Sept. 10)
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