Yellow Pages
Firefighters from around region get chance to show off lifesaving skills in contest
SEDRO-WOOLLEY — During an emergency, firefighters load up on heavy gear then run, climb and lift to put out a fire or rescue someone in danger.
On Saturday, they did it for fun.
Firefighters from as far away as Seattle and Tacoma gathered on the Sedro-Woolley High School football field to test their skills against each other.
“They’re monsters,” said Andrea Lloyd, a 43-year-old Lake McMurray firefighter as she sized up one of the two teams sent by the Port of Seattle firefighters. The Port team ended up winning first place in the competition. Team members said they train year round for the competitions, which of course also helps with fighting fires.
“We just love the camaraderie — and the competition,” said Nadrece Robinson, a 30-year-old firefighter on the victorious Seattle team.
The firefighters huffed for air through their protective masks as they climbed the high school’s bleachers with 100 feet of empty hose hoisted over their shoulders. They took turns pounding a sledgehammer on a device that mimics breaking down a door.
In one event, the firefighters had to drag hoses to a certain point and spray water on a target.
In the toughest part of the competition, the firefighters rescued a 165-pound dummy, dragging its dead weight almost 100 feet to the finish line.
Some collapsed under the weight of the body and the exertion. Others had to stop, hunched over as they sucked through their masks for air.
“You need to move,” “Keep going” and “You can do it,” other firefighters cheered.
“Everyone’s oxygen is deprived by the time you get to this point,” Lake McMurray’s Lloyd said as she watched.
“You have to fight for air when you’re really fatigued,” said Trevor Nipges, a 29-year-old Cedardale firefighter.
Twenty-five-year-old Lyman firefighter Bobby Castilleja struggled to catch his breath after he rescued the dummy and took off his gear.
“It’s like pushing a car for 15 miles,” he said, lying in the grass.
Eric Stradus, a 34-year-old Everett firefighter, won the individual award, completing all the tasks in less than two minutes. He has competed in three previous Sedro-Woolley Firefighter’s Competitions.
The event has been going on for five years as part of the annual Loggerodeo festival. Saturday the firefighter competition ran from 9 a.m. into the afternoon.
At some point, duty called and many of the Sedro-Woolley firefighters had to break away from the competition for local emergencies — a fire, a car accident and a medical call.
Brett Sandstrom, a Sedro-Woolley resident came with his wife and 1-year-old boy to watch the firefighters.
“It looked painful,” Sandstrom said. “I have a few friends who are firefighters. What they have to do for a living is amazing.”
n Tahlia Ganser can be reached at 360-416-2148 or at .
