Apopka Firefighters to compete in Combat Challenge

The first group of nine firefighters are flying out this morning to compete in the 2016 Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge.

The Apopka firefighters will compete against fire departments from around the country at the 2016 Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge Sept. 24-25 in Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.

The challenge is held throughout the year in 15 different cities around the nation including the Lake of the Ozarks. Winners will go to the 25th annual World Challenge Oct. 24-29 in Montgomery, Alabama. Competitors come from as far away as New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, Chile, and South Africa.

A total of 16 off-duty men and women firefighters will travel from Apopka to Missouri – most will comprise three teams.

The competition consist of wearing 80 pounds of fire gear while climbing 4 stories with a 45-pound hose pack, hoisting 45 pounds of hose up a tower with a rope, slugging away with a sledge hammer to move a 60-pound block 6 feet, dragging a fire hose full of water for 100 feet and then finishing by dragging a 180-pound manikin 100 feet. The best time wins.

Apopka firefighters have been training for months, getting together on weekends and other off-times at the Leroy F. Gilliam Training Center to practice each of the competition events.

Use this link to see photos of Apopka firefighters training for the event.