Berlin Calling...

The 6th Annual Berlin Firefighter Combat Challenge was held this past week on Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th at the historic site of the Kaiser Welhelm Memorial Church. Several months earlier, in a matter of four minutes the on line registration had filled with over 300 participating firefighters from around Europe. This presented a logistical challenge and stretches the boundaries for exactly how many participants can realistically expect to earn a birth at the event. 

Mike Weikamm, the organizer of the event, with the support of Team Berlin did an admirable job of managing the more than 17 hours of competition. In one sense, this is a nice problem. We realize that in the out years, we're going to hold more regional events and eliminations in our quest to crown a European champion. If you would have had the opportunity to have attended this momentous event, you would have felt very much at home. Firefighters around the globe are cut from the same bolt of cloth. 

However, a couple of behaviors are rarely witnessed at US events: lighting up a cigarette immediately after a run, or handing a buddy a beer for fluid replacement. Otherwise, cheering on each other and celebrating PRs with high-fives was very much in evidence. 

I'm amazed at how fast things have progressed since the fairly humble start at Potsdamer Platz a very short six years ago. You can tell that the guys have been studying the enormous number of YouTube videos. Technique is becoming very important as is specificity of training. Competitors have familiarized themselves the the World Record run of Bob Russell (1:19) as well as the nuances of Brandon Cunningham. 

A good dozen or so of the Competitors went sub 2:00. The question typically asked is how valid are these times? Pretty close. The hose drag with a significantly smaller diameter  and weight is easier. The tower, constructed of scaffolding will always be harder. It's very stable, but the railings act as brakes. The timing system precisely follows the rules. The Keiser Force Machine, Rescue Randy, Saloon Doors and Target are spot on. 

The playing surface was perhaps a bit more slippery than asphalt when wet, but all in all, the Berliner Feuerwehr has done an absolutely excellent job of replication down to the red and blue carpets. The photos here, as well as on Facebook do an excellent job of capturing the ambiance. 

I'll have a few more posts on the subject of our European events over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned. 

Rookie of the Year Criteria & New Award

To date we have not had a formal set of criteria for the Rookie of the Year. Subsequently, the Awards Committee has established that the term “Rookie” applies to an individual who runs the full Challenge course for the first time in that year- as opposed to participating as a tandem or relay team member in that year or any prior year.

The award is not based solely on the fastest time, but includes other factors including numbers of runs, percent of improvement, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport and the fire service. In other words, a person who exemplifies the spirit of the Challenge.

Beginning this season, we are proud to announce the Rookie of the Year Award will be known as the Lion- PJ Bean Rookie of the Year Award.

PJ Bean, 29, was a firefighter and paramedic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who tragically drowned in Memorial Creek in Madison, South Dakota in May of 2012. He was in Madison visiting family over the weekend and celebrating his brother's graduation from Dakota State University.

In 2011, Bean was a competitor in the Challenge on Team Tuscaloosa. Since his death, his teammates have memorialized Bean by placing stickers on their helmets, and renaming their team "Tuscaloosa Running for PJ."

Born in Mitchell, South Dakota, his family moved to Alaska when he was very young, where he studied at the University of Alaska, before moving to Alabama. His goal was to be a paramedic on the SWAT team, and he was recently accepted into the University of South Dakota, where he could earn a degree to get him closer to his SWAT paramedic goal. In August of 2012, he was to move to South Dakota.

Along with being awarded a life-saving medal in 2009, Bean was present and aided in responding to the devestating tornado that ravaged Tuscaloosa in April 2011.

The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge is extremely proud to name our Rookie of the Year Award after PJ Bean, as a former member of our community. He was a brilliant example of a great firefighter, and a model for the qualities that make for a great Challenge competitor.

This Just In....

Lots of stuff to cover in this BlogSpot, so hang on.

1. US Nationals: short story, we tried mightily to make the USS Midway work. Two planning meetings, in San Diego with the engineering department and a date identified. A contract was created and it started through channels without any indication of any issues. Then, before the contract was executed, the Midway Foundation wanted to punt this to next year. The bottom line is it’s just too hard. Sounded good in theory, but in reality, not going to happen, ever. So, we’re scrambling. Walt White has been knocking on doors as has Cliff Walker and Bob Pfohl. I believe we’ll have a destination for you soon. Out of respect for our West Coast competitors, we want to put this on in California- somewhere. My apologies for this taking so long. Because it looked like it was a lock after our second meeting, we did not build out a contingency plan. Some things are just beyond your control. 

Windsor (aka Parker Construction) is working on Lyrics!

2. Canadian National Anthem: in our survey, one of our Canadians brought to our attention that we did not play their national anthem when a team came south of the border. Following the protocol of MLB, the National Anthem of the home team is played- only. For sure, we can’t do this at the World Championships when we have nine countries represented. But, it will be our policy to recognize any Canadian at a US event by playing O Canada! Last week, I offered Windsor the privilege of singing the lyrics at the opening ceremony. They said that they’d pass; but, they mentioned that the Fire Department had a recording of some of their firefighters singing the anthem. We’d like to get that in an M3! 

3. Survey Monkey: Speaking of which, I have a lot of content for upcoming Blogs from the robust nature of comments we’ve been getting from the survey. All of these comments are appreciated, even the criticisms. After all, that’s how we improve our customer service. Trying to communicate with the constituents of the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge is like hitting a moving target. We try to disseminate timely information at the event. But that’s only good for who’s there. The Hot News is supposed to be that: Hot News. But do people read it? Don’t know. One thought was to send a short update to every email of record. Not that hard, assuming that people actually fill in the fields when they check in. We don’t want a repeat of a situation a few years back when a team showed up for the final day of racing, having assumed that they had a bye. Holy cow. 

4. Speaking of Checking In: We received some complaints in the Survey that “I’ve not received my participation certificate.” We’re pretty good, but we can’t divine mailing addressed on the basis of a name only. If you haven’t received your certificate, send us an email, with your mailing address- and we’ll get it out to you. I can’t stress enough the frustration of attempting to track down a firefighter without a cell phone number of email address. Pretend that you won the lottery and you want us to mail you the check. One more thing: we hate screwing up the pronunciation of people’s names. There’s a place to enter: “How do you pronounce your name?” Do the best job you can to spell your last name phonetically. Also, it won’t hurt to put something down about yourself. I jokingly said, we should default the field to “alleged sex offender” and if you enter nothing, that would be Mike’s comments- but it’s only alleged. 

And Disaster Strikes Again

Are we snake bit or what? I described our deluge in Montgomery; that cost us a mixer and the Sennheiser wireless microphone- and a tent. In Sandusky, we had micro switches and relays in the Keiser and the timing system that had to be replaced. So, when we pulled into Fishers, we checked the weather and were pleased to see that there was no storm activity pending- at least until later Saturday afternoon. 

But disaster came from an unexpected quarter: a medivac helicopter that was to be on display at the venue- came in on a low pass just above the tree line and literally blew the course away. The accompanying photo graphically demonstrates the scope of the damage. The finish line, fabricated from schedule 40 aluminum tubing was broken in two places. The clocks crashed to the ground, ripping the connecting cables from their sockets. The main control cable was likewise ripped. 

The thresholds were flipped and their connects trashed. Chief Steve Orusa suggested  that we postponed the day’s races. But Chuck DeGrandpre, in his characteristic, can-do manner set our crack road crew in motion to begin the repair process. Clint Lamb, Roger Shuttlesworth and Bill Alexander each took on a project.  In a few short hours, we had the timing system functioning, the finish line was welded with the assistance of the Town of Fishers Public Works Department welder. 

I can’t say enough about the ability of our Road Crew to rebound after what seems to be an unceasing string of adversities. Now, with all this bad luck behind us, let’s hope for clear sailing for the balance of the season. 

I Guess You Had to be There...

For those of you who came to Cedar Point last year, you may have had a sense of deja vu (http://youtu.be/55Ay8W_IRpw).

We thought moving the event up by a month or so should ensure that we’d not encounter another 50kt, non-stop, white-capping, sideways rain storm. The two-week long, intense 90°+ heat wave was broken by a number of squalls that dumped on us- yet again, precipitating (no-pun intended) more of those kinds of issues brought on by the extreme disdain that electrons have for water. 

Apologies to those guys who ended up not doing their best- which would include just about everyone. All I can say is that this was a tough course, made more tough by rain-swollen hose that added mass to the gear- on both the red and the blue course equally. 

But for me, the camaraderie transcended it all. In some ways it was like homecoming week for the Challenge. Don Kempf, now a retired battalion chief from the Cleveland Fire Department set a new world record for guys with bilateral hip replacements. He remarked when I pointed this out, “At last I won something!” Carl Keith, now a chief officer with Elyria stated that the last time he ran the course, there was no such thing as cell phones. That took me back to those days in the mid ‘90’s, waiting on some street corner for Ross Lowery to show up, driving our Hackney support vehicle, and having absolutely no idea as to where he was and when he would show up. 

I remarked to Randy Kalan, now the chief of Thames Center FD (ON) that it took Mike Word longer to read his list of accomplishments than it did for him to run the course (2:02). Mark Condrich, stand-out scholastic athlete and now-over 50 competitor brought Martin Shea, another Cleveland firefighter with him. It was Martin’s first run- ever, and absent any task-specific training turned in an impressive 2:55. He remarked that “...it was fun.” His understatement made me ponder, “this is as it should be; any firefighter roused from the dead of night might be faced with a working fire of enormous proportions.” To be fully prepared, the Challenge is a great benchmark by which one knows that they do have what it takes to go in harm’s way. 

Mark, Paul Jeske and Bernie Nypaver (Lakewood) and I had a far ranging conversation on an assortment of topics ranging from “where did the plasticity in our legs go“, to “do you think you can get it back with plyometrics?” We talked about the benefits of chondroitin and the prophylactic value of pediatric (81mg) aspirin. Here, we have a bunch of guys, some with over 30 years on the job who are still fascinated with competition, work performance, training regimens and overall vitality. Bernie’s major focus has been cycling- participating in the World Games and other amateur competitions. Shaun Henderson and I discussed over-the-counter supplements and the problems with truth in labeling (you can’t trust the manufactures to disclose banned substances). So much to talk about and not enough time. 

Even our two sponsors, Ron Snizek of Finnley Fire Apparatus- who brought a Pierce engine to the event and Mike Olney of Horton, both firefighters with more than 30 years enjoyed the rare atmosphere of being around firefighter jocks who love their jobs and bring with them an infectious vitality. 

Chances are if you’re reading this column, you’re pretty dialed in to the ethos of what makes the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge a blast. It’s not what happens on the course, it’s all the cool people- guys who would be insulted if you visited their town and you didn’t tell them you were coming. Relationships that have been forged, now spanning decades- that never would have been, had there not been this exciting platform for sport. 

I watched the march on of athletes in London. Bob Costas pointed out that the president of one of the country teams from Africa had said that it was about winning- not participating- having reversed the whole premise for the games as espoused by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Well, I think we got it right. If you could have been in Sandusky, we validated ”just being there." 

Montgomery, Alabama: A Winning Combination

The city of Montgomery was named after the American Revolutionary War major general, Richard Montgomery- born in Ireland and first served in the British army.  He lead the failed invasion of Canada and was killed after capturing Montreal. A battle of another sort took place in his city namesake this past weekend. Our 368th Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge was an exceptional event. It is noteworthy for a lot of reasons. First, the temperature was 20°F cooler than last year- or at least it felt that way. Absent the torrential downpour that took out some of our electronic sound components, the weather was near spectacular. We were positioned on a virtually flat parking lot that was in good repair. The slight grade helped considerably in quickly removing the standing 2 inches of water that Mike Word and I observed from our relative place of safety, inside the Kentucky semi-trailer. 

Justin Beliveau: 1:39

          Justin Beliveau: 1:39

On both of our competition days the colors were presented by the MFD Honor Guard and the National Anthem was sung by Police Sergeant John Mackey and Police Officer Roderick Montgomery in a duet. This was one of the best renditions ever. I remarked that they should have tried out for American Idol- and we should have recorded them. The Mayor, Todd Strange made opening remarks and was around for all of the competition for both days, as was the Director of Public Safety, J. Christopher Murphy. That is, I believe a first. 

Here’s another first: Justin Beliveau of Hattiesburg (MS) took first place with a 1:39.82- a Lion’s Den criteria for his first time running in the Open category. That’s remarkable! The top 9 finishers were under 2:00. As expected, the Relays delivered the promised excitement. Sixteen teams from the MFD were in the competition- representing almost every station as well as headquarters. 

The 25-member recruit class, all in their red PT gear reset the course with precision and harbor ominous forebodings of great things to come for the Montgomery Fire Department.  Tuscaloosa, Hattiesburg, Pearl, Seymour Johnson AFB and of course MFD made a great contest of the final eliminations with a run only <3 seconds off the World Record. 

Media coverage was also exceptional; here are some of the links: 

Event coverage (CBS & ABC):  http://www.waka.com/home/top-stories/Firefighter--162449566.html

Morning news preview (NBC):  http://www.wsfa.com/category/195969/video-landing-page?clipId=7499976&autostart=true

Newspaper Coverage (Montgomery Advertiser):  http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120715/NEWS01/307150001/Fired-up-Montgomery-takes-title-firefighter-challenge

Pre-Event Newspaper Coverage with video featurette (Montgomery Advertiser):  http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120713/NEWS01/307130023/Challenge-heats-up-Montgomery-firefighters-look-defend-No-1-ranking?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFrontpage%7Cp

Online Coverage (al.com):  http://blog.al.com/montgomery/2012/07/montgomery_firefighter_combat_1.html

City Advertisement:  http://www.montgomeryal.gov/index.aspx?page=28&recordid=977

I characterized this event as near perfect in every category and an exemplar of what we’d like to see at every regional. Kudos to Chief Milford Jordan and his staff. We’re already looking forward to a return engagement in Montgomery next year. 

The Economic Value of Exercise- Cheap Therapy

The Supreme Court’s decision on the ACA has been headline news for the past week. Health care would not be the profound economic problem it is if people simply took personal responsibility. Most of our runaway costs are related to self-destructive behaviors such as the absence of any form of physical activity. The numbers of obese individuals in the world have now surpassed the numbers of malnourished. Of course, the fact that you’re reading this validates my point. The membership of the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge understand and embody the principles of a disease-free and exuberant lifestyle. If you were looking for an authoritative resource to back you up, read on...

A news release from the American College of Sports Medicine
Experts prescribe physical activity to promote health, cut costs

INDIANAPOLIS – The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), awaited amid much speculation for its impact on the act’s ongoing implementation, changes nothing about one fundamental truth, according to medical experts and scientists. Leaders of the American College of Sports Medicine point to physical activity and exercise as a powerful prescription for what’s ailing the U.S. citizenry, health system and economy. There is widespread and bipartisan support in Congress for effective steps in preventing disease rather than trying to pay for treating people after they get sick, including major promotion of physical activity and healthy lifestyles.

“Americans’ lack of exercise will cause seven million early deaths in this decade, according the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services,” said Janet Walberg Rankin, Ph.D.,  ACSM president and an associate dean at Virginia Tech. “With chronic diseases—including heart disease, stroke and diabetes—responsible for seven out of 10 deaths, and with physical activity and exercise shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic conditions, healthy lifestyles must be a part of the health care equation.”

“It’s good medicine, it’s sound science, and it’s an economic necessity,” said Robert Sallis, M.D., FACSM, a physician with Kaiser Permanente and past president of ACSM who chairs the Exercise is Medicine global health initiative. “Chronic diseases account for 75 percent of the nation’s health care spending. Increased physical activity can play a powerful role in treating these problems and, even better, in preventing them from occurring in the first place. If the benefits of exercise could be captured in pill form, it would be the most widely prescribed drug in the world.”

Walberg Rankin and Sallis recommend that, given the ability of physical activity and exercise to help people of any age or health status gain and maintain better health, these considerations should be central to any discussion on health policy. “Governments worldwide, from the community level to national legislatures, are wising up to what businesses are already finding out,” said Sallis. “Keeping people healthy has a profound impact on the bottom line. Lack of physical activity has an estimated cost of $223 billion to $381 billion per year, which is now going to treat preventable diseases.” Exercise can cost next to nothing, with enjoyable activities such as walking available to almost anyone.

“Beyond the avoidable cost in health care dollars, we need to look at the loss of worker productivity and the impact of non-communicable diseases on families and on individual quality of life,” said Walberg Rankin. “Research shows that physically active people have fewer hospital stays and physician visits. Our nation—and every community, workplace and organization—must act on the growing evidence base supporting Exercise is Medicine and collectively shift focus from overspending to treat preventable diseases to keeping people healthy. That’s a proven prescription for individual health and America’s bottom line.”