'You've got to stay fit': Firefighters put their skills to the test at 2023 FireFit
Some of the fittest firefighters from Alberta and the territories were in the Edmonton area Saturday to put their skills to the test.
The FireFit Alberta/Yukon Regional Championship saw 50 competitors battling it out on an obstacle course designed to test their fire fighting abilities.
FireFit originated as a training exercise in B.C., and has been touring nationally since 1994.
Dale McRoberts, former FireFit president, said the competition is a way for firefighters to stay in shape and keep their skills sharp.
"It's healthy training, as all firefighters should do," Roberts said. "If you're going to have a successful career, a 30-year career doing physical work, you've got to stay fit."
Firefighters donned their gear to tackle the course and test their speed, strength and endurance through tasks commonly performed in emergency situations.
A firefighter carries a dummy to safety at the 2023 FireFit Alberta/Yukon Regional Championship in Edmonton on Saturday. (John Hanson/CTV News Edmonton)
Strathcona County's FireFit team were the reigning World and National Champions heading into the competition, taking home four gold medals in 2022.
The competition pits regional teams against each other, but Roberts said there's more to it than that.
"This isn't only for people who are racing to be number one," Roberts said. "A lot of firefighters test themselves on this and they have their own personal goals, so they are winners every time.
"They keep improving, they stay fit and they're better at their job."
National championships will take place in September in Sarnia, Ont.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.