Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills Fire Department
A team of five firefighters from Vestavia Hills finished second in the Alabama Fire Service Showdown at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
A team of five Vestavia Hills firefighters placed second in the Alabama Fire Service Showdown this week at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
The firefighters compete in events that simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting, such as climbing a five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-size, 175-pound “victim” as they race against opponents and a clock. Competitors wear full turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatuses as they compete in the events.
The Vestavia Hills Fire Department had two teams at the showdown, and a team made up of Dextor Harris, Adrian Millican, Colby Robertson, Frankie Bender and Will Davis came in second place — just .17 seconds behind the winning team from the Cullman Fire Department, Vestavia Hills Batallion Chief Scott Ferrell said.
The leading Vestavia Hills team competed against a team from Anniston in the seeding round, then put the other Vestavia Hills team out of the competition in their second race, Harris said. They beat a team from the Tuscaloosa Fire Department in their third race before falling to Cullman in the finals, he said.
Harris and Ana Ruzevic, another Vestavia Hills firefighter, also are competing in the U.S. National Firefighter Challenge Championship at the Hoover Met. Ruzevic, a national champion in 2019 and 2021, made it past the qualifying round in the individual competition on Wednesday and will compete in the finals Saturday, Harris said.
Ruzevic also competed in two-person competitions Thursday, and both she and Harris are scheduled to compete on five-person relay teams Friday.
The Alabama competition had 47 firefighters from 12 fire departments across the state registered, while the national championship event has 158 firefighters from 73 fire departments in 24 states registered, said Russell Jackson, a former Hoover firefighter who is CEO of the First Responder Institute, which organizes the event.
The competitions take place in the parking lot in front of Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and are open to the public.
Friday’s relays are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Saturday individual championships are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, go to firefighterchallenge.com.
