Bajan wins firefighter challenge

He captured the audience from the start.

Even as he made his way through hurdle after hurdle, with the captive audience spurring him on until he dropped like a dead weight along with the close to 200-pound dummy he was carrying.

The scene was the Windsor Park Sports Stadium last week and the Firefighter’s Challenge was on.

The challenge pitted firefighters from across the region against each other and Barbadian firefighter, Rodney Griffith, with an impressive performance, captured first place.

Leading Fireman and Public Relations Officer Wayne Letang said the challenge tests firefighters in time and endurance in what they do on an every day basis, but something extra, such as the dummy, was thrown in “to add some excess.”

Eleven firefighters took part in the challenge with nine from Dominica and two from Barbados.

The event started in 2009 in Jamaica and Letang described it as “an exhibition” for the public to experience the work firefighters do since many have the perception that they do nothing.

“So we are showing this is what we do on an everyday basis,” he said. “Fighting a fire, doing rescues …that what’s involved, and is a lot of exertion, but it also gives an opportunity for each Caribbean country to compete.”

He said the local fire officers were excited to be competing, and were looking forward to winning the contest.

But for the Dominicans, home soil was not adequate to prevent Griffith from pushing himself beyond his limit and although he subsequently experienced temporarily difficulty in breathing, which required assistance from the emergency services, he managed to grab the number one spot.