Firefighter championships at Finley
Published: 5th September 2011
More than 70 fire and rescue officers from NSW’s southern region will converge on Finley on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September to pit their wits and skills against each other at the Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) Firefighter Regional Championships.
Teams from 16 FRNSW brigades, one team from the NSW Rural Fire Service and another team from Victoria will battle it out for line honours in the fourth round of the 2011 FRNSW Firefighter Championship series.
FRNSW Acting Commissioner John Benson said the championships would see fire and rescue officers competing in challenges that tested their skills in setting up and deploying firefighting equipment quickly and safely in a competitive environment.
“Firefighters train for these events for many months and there is a strong competitive streak within the brigades to prove who is the top team on the weekend,” he said.
“The events are designed to be exciting and fun but also have the more serious purpose of honing skills that will be critical to our firefighters in emergencies.”
FRNSW Assistant Commissioner and Director of Championships Jim Hamilton said the event provided fire and rescue officers with the opportunity to work together under pressure and develop their operational skills.
“Finley fire and rescue officers, who are hosting the event, have put in a lot of time and effort into preparations and should be congratulated,” he said.
“They have worked for many months to prepare for this weekend, which will see scores of fire and rescue officers and their family members descend on Finley from across the state. It is a real boost for the local community.
“With home-town advantage and lots of local support, I’m sure the team from Finley will be tough to beat and we wish all of the teams competing over the weekend the best of luck.”
All events, community safety demonstrations and activities will be held at the Fire Brigade Track, Finley Lake, Finley, 8am to 4pm, Saturday and 8am to 1pm, Sunday. Entry is free.
Competing teams: Albury Civic, Bega, Berry, Culcairn, Deniliquin, Finley, Forbes, Henty, Tocumwal, Tumut, Delroy, Griffith, Kelso, Leeton, Parkes and Wyong. There will also be competing visiting teams from the Kootingal Rural Fire Service and the Euchuca Fire Brigade, Victoria.