Armidale heats up for Firefighter Championships
Published: 15th March 2019
Armidale firefighters will pit their skills against the state’s best when they host the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Regional Firefighter Championship at Jack Valance Oval this weekend.
Retained firefighters from more than 15 brigades from as far afield as Dubbo, Merrylands, Nowra, Port Macquarie, Ulladulla and Wyong will converge on Armidale to compete in the championships.
They will be joined by crack NSW Rural Fire Service crews from Kootingal and Tamworth City, who are sure to make a strong showing on behalf of their volunteer colleagues.
FRNSW Deputy Commissioner, Jim Hamilton wished all teams the best of luck in the first round of the 2019 Regional Firefighter Championship.
“Firefighters train for this event for many months and there is a strong competitive streak within the brigades to prove who is the top team. With their hometown advantage, I’m sure the Armidale brigade will be among the teams to beat,” said Deputy Commissioner Hamilton.
“The championships are designed to be exciting and fun, but also have the more serious purpose of honing skills that are critical to our firefighters in real emergencies.
“Our firefighters do so much more than fight fires – from car crashes and hazardous material incidents to natural disasters and community education – they really are prepared for anything and ready to help anyone, anywhere, anytime.”
The two-day competition will test the skills, professionalism and training of regional firefighters, with events simulating fire and rescue situations.
Deputy Commissioner Hamilton also encouraged anyone interested in becoming a retained, or on-call, firefighter to come along to the championships to talk to brigade members and learn more about the job.
“Retained firefighters respond to emergencies from work or home and play a vital role in keeping hundreds of communities across NSW safe,” he said.
“They are trained and equipped to deal with the same emergencies as full-time firefighters and are dedicated and passionate about what they do – and you can witness that skill and commitment first hand in Armidale this weekend.”
Deputy Commissioner Hamilton will officially open the championships at 9am on Saturday.
All events, community safety demonstrations and activities will be held at Jack Valance Oval from 8am Saturday to 1pm Sunday. Entry is free.