The tranquility of the Snowy Mountains foothills will make way for the clanking of hydrants, the pounding of fire boots and the urgent barking of orders this weekend when the NSW Regional Firefighting Championships take place at Tumut.
The first round of regional heats for fire crews will take place at Bull Paddock, in the picturesque village, this weekend, March 23/24.
Hard-fought competition
Twenty teams are taking part in the hard-fought competition to earn the right to represent their emergency service, communities and colleagues at the state titles, scheduled in Wagga Wagga in October.
Teams will compete in events such as “Booster Valve and High Rise Bag,” “Urban Pump Collector and Ladder,” “Urban Disabled Pump” and “Hose, Hydrant and Extinguisher,” testing their speed, teamwork and attention to detail.
FRNSW crew from Wyong
A second round of regional championships will be held at Kelso in Bathurst in August
A second round of regional championships will be held at Kelso in Bathurst in August. This year, the hunters will become the hunted as the FRNSW crew from Wyong is challenged by new teams looking to end its dominance at recent championships.
“These competitions allow our firefighters to remain honed and ready for the real thing,” said FRNSW Acting Deputy Commissioner – Field Operations and Championships Director, Cheryl Steer.
Fire stations and emergency services
“Each crew prides itself on its professionalism, skills and readiness to protect its local community,” states Acting Deputy Commissioner Steer, adding: “The friendly rivalry between fire stations and emergency services results in shared and improved knowledge that will ultimately save lives during real emergencies. We have some new teams competing in Tumut this year and we’re pretty keen to see how they perform.”
The competing teams are: Wangi Wangi, Saratoga, Terrigal, Wyong, Kurri Kurri, Ulladulla x 2, Cowra, Goulburn, Region South #2, Tumut, Culcairn, Tumbarumba, Turvey Park x 2, Wagga Wagga, Trangie, Composite #1, Junee and Kootingal RFS.
