The Ironman of firefighting will take place at Waimate’s William Boland Park this weekend.
Waimate’s volunteer chief fire officer Steve Pali said the Firefighter Challenge (FFC) was often described as the toughest two minutes in sport.
He said it was the first time Waimate would host the event.
‘‘And, as it turns out, this will be the largest Canterbury Provincial Fire Brigade Association FFC since it started.’’
He said it had been running in New Zealand for over a decade.
‘‘We are looking at approximately 76 people excluding Waimate members — that will be coming into the town and attending the event.’’
Those people were participants or helpers, or both.
Contestants would be wearing full bunker gear and using breathing apparatus, in a series of tasks across the course like: climbing stairs, entering doors, hose pulling, shooting a target with water and rescuing people.
The competition was a test of skill and fitness and simulated the physical demands of real-life firefighting to the public.
‘‘We are looking at 47 individual runs, 25 tandems and 10 relays.
‘‘We would love to see people come down and cheer us on for this exciting spectator event.’’
He said the event was followed by a prizegiving and barbecue for competitors.
The event started at 10am on Saturday.
‘‘We will have Mr Whippy, coffee cart and a barbecue.’’
They would be raising funds for the four members who were set to attend the Sky Tower Challenge in May, which raises funds for Kiwis living with blood cancer.
