Deputy fire chief Kane Doran will be headed east to Gaspé, Que. next month to take part in the Scott FireFit Championships, a competition based on firefighting tasks used in emergency situations.
Doran is heading down to take part in the event's individual competition, which starts on Sept. 3 and will consist of Doran taking part in a course while wearing 70 pounds of firefighting gear and a breathing apparatus. He will have to pick up a 40- pound fire hose bundle and run up six flights of stairs. After that Doran will grab another 40-pound hose bundle on the end of a rope and lift it up the six flights of stairs. In the next part of the competition he'll go down the stairs and reach a point in the course that mimics when a firefighter must perform a forcible entry, which in this case involves striking a weight with a hammer. After that Doran will have to run a slalom through cones, grab a charged hose line, run back 50 feet and spray a target, and then take hold of a 180-pound rescue mannequin and drag it another 50 feet.
Doran says he was really excited when he found out he was able to go, thanks to all the fundraising that the entire fire department has done.
"I was so excited that I get to go down and compete against the best in the country at the combat challenges, and honoured that I get to represent the fire department and Thompson," he says.
Doran also says his co-workers have been behind him completely in this endeavour whether by taking parting fundraising activities or being there for moral support.
"The whole team has been fundraising for most of the year. We've been doing car washes, going door-to-door to businesses, dropping off letters. We've been helping out the Lions Club at bingos and accumulating batteries at the dump," Doran explains. "Everyone has been really supportive that way. We're a very close knit group here at the fire department - it's kind of like a home away from home. The members here have been nothing but supportive and wishing me luck and helping me out so that I can do well."
Although he says he won't have much time for sightseeing, due to the fact that most of his spare time will be spent training, Doran says he is excited to see another part of the country that he hasn't been to yet.
After the national championships in Gaspé, an international championship will be held in Las Vegas. Doran says a trip to the United States won't be in the cards for the Thompson Fire Department this year, but it is a possibility in the years to come.
The Scott FireFit Championships provide competitions for firefighters on many different levels, from veterans to rookies. Competitors also have a chance to take part in the FireFit Team relay event, which consists of three to five person teams completing the five benchmarks that make up the FireFit event.
A final car wash fundraiser will be happening on Aug. 29 beside Doug's Source for Sports in Thompson.
