Five elite members of the Forney Fire Department qualified for the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge World Challenge to be held in two weeks in Las Vegas, Nevada, after finishing in top spots at the 8th Annual Firefighter Combat Challenge in Tyler, Texas.
Five elite members of the Forney Fire Department qualified for the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge World Challenge to be held in two weeks in Las Vegas, Nevada, after finishing in top spots at the 8th Annual Firefighter Combat Challenge in Tyler, Texas.
The team of five competes under the name “Forney Combat” and started competing in 2009. This year's team has two new members and consists of Forney Fire Department firefighters Russell Bannister, David Lawson, Ryan Elder, Josh Everett, and Tyler Sullivan.
26 teams from all over the North Texas region and beyond competed in the challenge at the Broadway Square Mall in Tyler on October 4th and 5th, 2013. Forney Combat took 4th place overall in the team relay event.
For the first time ever, Forney Combat placed 9th overall in the open team event and qualified as a team for the World Challenge. In the solo event, Russell Bannister narrowly missed a podium spot and placed in 4th place with a time of 1:44.84.
Looking forward to the World Challenge, Forney Combat team member Lt. David Lawson said, “I would like to see our team finish below 1:20.00 and finish top 10 in the world. We've been right there neck and neck at each competition. Every second counts.”
The team competes using local sponsorships and donations and doesn't receive funds from the city or the fire department budget. In order to compete in the World Challenge in Vegas, the team needs to raise nearly $4,000 before the six-day event on October 22, 2013. “We are committed to the competition no matter what, but donations would certainly help with our out of pocket expenses,” said Lawson.
The challenge consists of five events which include a 5-story tower climb with a 42 lb. high-rise pack. Once the firefighters reach the top of the tower, they will then hoist a 42 lb. hose up to the top of the tower with a rope. After descending the tower making sure to hit every step on the way down, the firefighters complete the keiser challenge. The keiser challenge simulates forcible entry; the contestants drive a 160 lb. beam on rails five feet using a sledgehammer.
After the keiser challenge, contestants run 100 feet through a serpentine-pattern course. The contestants will then pick up a “charged” (pressurized with water) hose 75 feet, through a salon-style door barrier, then spray a target with the hose. After striking the target, the contestants drag a 175-pound mannequin backwards for the last 100 feet of the course.
Forney Combat team member Russell Bannister said, “The Firefighter Combat Challenge is said to be the 'toughest two minutes in sports' which is probably hard to believe unless you've stood at the base of the tower and collapsed at the finish line.” During the competitions, contestants are outfitted with full NFPA compliant bunker gear.
According to Bannister, teams compete from all over the world including New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, Chile, and South Africa.
For sponsorships and donations contact Russell Bannister at (214) 316-6388 or by email at rbannister@cityofforney.org. “We are open to competing under a sponsor's name if the opportunity presents itself,” said Lawson. Forney Combat is currently raffling a set of Cowboy game tickets against the Raiders on November 28, 2013.
Visit Forney Combat on Facebook.
