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Sep. 18—Five Albert Lea firefighters will compete in a national competition next week where they will go head-to-head against firefighters from across the country.
Albert Lea Fire Rescue Capt. Kurt Wallace, Lt. Jedadiah Lokken and firefighters Blair Bonnerup, J.T. Bellrichard and Mitch Mulder, competed in a regional event in St. Paul in June and were invited to compete at the upcoming Firefighter Challenge United States National Championship in Oklahoma City. The event runs from Sept. 24 to 27, and the local firefighters are expected to compete Sept. 26 in the relay team category.
Lokken described the event as "an exciting and physically demanding event that showcases the strength, endurance and teamwork of firefighters from across the country."
"Our team is committed to not only representing our community but also raising awareness about the hard work and dedication of first responders," he said.
Lokken said all but Wallace are on the same shift at the fire station and have wanted to try out a firefighter challenge for several years. Wallace competed in similar events before, starting in his first 18 years ago, and is part of the team that achieved the current regional relay record in 2009 with himself, Trevor DeRaad, Ben Davis and the late Brett Boss and Doug Johnson.
Bellrichard said he is proud to continue the legacy that these firefighters started, especially after the death of Boss and Johnson to cancer.
The firefighters started training in the spring during their regular fitness time during their shifts, as well as after shifts. During the competition they will run in full turnout gear, each completing one leg of the race, whether that be running up stairs of a tower while carrying a hose, pulling a hose bundle while running down the stairs, negotiating a sled and slalom portion, dragging a hose and hitting a target and then lastly, dragging a life-size dummy manikin more than a hundred feet to simulate a victim rescue.
Lokken said all of the elements of the race are pertinent to what they do on a daily basis.
"Every department takes a lot of pride that they're the best," he said. "This is the chance to show that you're the best."
The men said 85 relay teams are expected, and right now from Minnesota, only a team from Albert Lea and a team from Minneapolis are competing.
They said at the regional event this summer, they finished about 30 seconds faster than the Minneapolis team and were less than 10 seconds away from the record for the region.
A link and time to watch the competition will be posted on the Albert Lea Fire Rescue and Albert Lea Firefighters L1041 Facebook pages.
They thanked their fellow firefighters who have stepped up to help cover their shift while they are gone and for the businesses that have contributed toward the cost of attending the competition: ServPro, Lou-Rich, Albert Lea Bus Company, MacQueen Emergency Solutions, Lodi 2 LLC, Arcadian Bank, Helping Hands Junk Removal, Dennis Glassel of Robert Hoffman Realty, Robert Hoffman of Robert Hoffman Realty and Raleigh's Ace Hardware.
The men will work on Sept. 24 and then drive most of Sept. 25 to be ready to compete Sept. 26.
They said in preparing for the competition, they have helped push each other to be their best. They looked forward to living up to the standards set by the teams of the past from Albert Lea.
Continue reading...
Albert Lea Fire Rescue Capt. Kurt Wallace, Lt. Jedadiah Lokken and firefighters Blair Bonnerup, J.T. Bellrichard and Mitch Mulder, competed in a regional event in St. Paul in June and were invited to compete at the upcoming Firefighter Challenge United States National Championship in Oklahoma City. The event runs from Sept. 24 to 27, and the local firefighters are expected to compete Sept. 26 in the relay team category.
Lokken described the event as "an exciting and physically demanding event that showcases the strength, endurance and teamwork of firefighters from across the country."
"Our team is committed to not only representing our community but also raising awareness about the hard work and dedication of first responders," he said.
Lokken said all but Wallace are on the same shift at the fire station and have wanted to try out a firefighter challenge for several years. Wallace competed in similar events before, starting in his first 18 years ago, and is part of the team that achieved the current regional relay record in 2009 with himself, Trevor DeRaad, Ben Davis and the late Brett Boss and Doug Johnson.
Bellrichard said he is proud to continue the legacy that these firefighters started, especially after the death of Boss and Johnson to cancer.
The firefighters started training in the spring during their regular fitness time during their shifts, as well as after shifts. During the competition they will run in full turnout gear, each completing one leg of the race, whether that be running up stairs of a tower while carrying a hose, pulling a hose bundle while running down the stairs, negotiating a sled and slalom portion, dragging a hose and hitting a target and then lastly, dragging a life-size dummy manikin more than a hundred feet to simulate a victim rescue.
Lokken said all of the elements of the race are pertinent to what they do on a daily basis.
"Every department takes a lot of pride that they're the best," he said. "This is the chance to show that you're the best."
The men said 85 relay teams are expected, and right now from Minnesota, only a team from Albert Lea and a team from Minneapolis are competing.
They said at the regional event this summer, they finished about 30 seconds faster than the Minneapolis team and were less than 10 seconds away from the record for the region.
A link and time to watch the competition will be posted on the Albert Lea Fire Rescue and Albert Lea Firefighters L1041 Facebook pages.
They thanked their fellow firefighters who have stepped up to help cover their shift while they are gone and for the businesses that have contributed toward the cost of attending the competition: ServPro, Lou-Rich, Albert Lea Bus Company, MacQueen Emergency Solutions, Lodi 2 LLC, Arcadian Bank, Helping Hands Junk Removal, Dennis Glassel of Robert Hoffman Realty, Robert Hoffman of Robert Hoffman Realty and Raleigh's Ace Hardware.
The men will work on Sept. 24 and then drive most of Sept. 25 to be ready to compete Sept. 26.
They said in preparing for the competition, they have helped push each other to be their best. They looked forward to living up to the standards set by the teams of the past from Albert Lea.
Continue reading...
