The Humboldt Fire Department have been hard at work preparing for the 2016 Annual Firefighters’ Rodeo hosted by Potash Corp. Lanigan on Sept. 17.
This year’s Humboldt group features five young firefighters who are relatively new to the competition with three making their debuts at last year’s event and two making their debuts at this year’s event.
The firefighters will compete against five other teams from Potash Corp mines from around the region including Potash Corp Cory, Potash Corp Rocanville, Potash Corp Allan, Potash Corp Lanigan, and Potash Corp Patience Lake.
“We enjoy going to this every year because it’s good training for our own guys too and they get to go into a little bit of competition too with the other mines,” says Humboldt Fire Department Captain and Rodeo Coach, Darcy Leonew.
The teams will compete in seven events, which are judged on performance with points being deducted for minor miscues including a leak in a water hose.
The seven events include practical skills, search and rescue, first aid, burst hose, fire extinguishment, challenge relay, and water soccer.
Leonew says the rodeo is a great competition for firefighters because it practices things that a firefighter would normally do on a call anyway.
“The only two that aren’t, are the water soccer and the challenge relay those are more like the skills competitions and they’re timed for speed, and accuracy,” says Leonew.
Looking ahead to the day of the competition Leonew says the team has been training very hard in preparation for the competition and says that they should be ready to go once the competition gets underway.
But he is not sure how they might place.
“It’s up to the guys and how the competition goes that day because it’s a tough competition.”
Leonew would like to thank Humboldt Fire Department Fire Chief, Mike Kwasnica, for allowing the team to take time to prepare for the competition.
“We wouldn’t be able to do this if our (Kwasnica) wouldn’t let us to do this every year because he’s got such a rigorous training schedule for us. It’s nice that we can fit this in into his schedule.”
