Firefighter Combat Challenge® Venue Selection

The title to this post would suggest that we have options for where we go. In those rare situations when confronted with two events on the same weekend, we do have to make a choice. But, the reality is more like "Can you come to our town/city on this date?"

Putting on the Challenge is an expensive proposition. Our sponsors and competitor/athletes provide 75% of the costs. So, we have to look to propsective hosts to make up the difference. The logistics are complicated by DOT regulations that stipulate how many hours of driving is allowed of Commercially Licensed Drivers (CDL).

Sometimes we have invitations that are simply impossible, like alternating coasts in a one-week span.  We give our best effort to consider every request. Ideally, events would be separated by no more than 1,000 miles.

Venue booking goes on constantly, year round. A propsective venue makes their interest known by contacting Rob Alesbury, our VP for marketing. A Host Packet is dispatched and a conversation ensues. Critical to considreration is the support of the local fire department and the CVB (Convention and Visitor's Bureau).

So, in a nutshell, we go where there is a demand. In many cases, it is a local FCC team that initiaties the initial conversation; first with the local CVB, and other sponsors, then reaching out to us for the requirements.

As soon as we have a viable lead, we post the event as "Red" on the schedule.  (We use a traffic light symbology for the progress stages. Once we have an agreement in the form of an executed contract with a deposit towards the cost, we turn the event "Yellow." "Green" happens when the progress payment is received.

There's not a lot of mystery here. If you'd like to see an event closer to home, start the process of beating the bushes and we'll come running.