A Test Of Their Mettle Firefighters Hone Their Skills, Strengths For Grueling National Competition

John Leavell slung 42 pounds of fire hose over his shoulder and raced up the first flight of stairs.

“Fly, buddy, fly,” Scott Crawford yelled as the reflective stripes on Leavell’s coat disappeared into the shadows of the Spokane Valley Fire District 1 training tower.

In a storage room next to Crawford, Steve Spuler slammed the head of a sledge hammer into a 165-pound steel sled.

Meanwhile, Larry Rider, raced across the cement deck surrounding the tower with a railroad tie in tow. Next to Rider, Rhys Evans dragged a 175-pound dummy.

The five firefighters will compete in the two-day national Firefighter Combat Challenge in Tampa, Fla., beginning Friday.

The competition, which began as a way to identify weaknesses in physical training, matches the best firefighters from across the country, testing their strength, endurance and mental toughness on a grueling obstacle course.

“It’s a lot of work for a two-and-a-half minute event,” said Rider, whose 16 years of service make him the most experienced firefighter on the team.

Valley Fire placed fifth out of 22 teams from seven Western states at the regional competition held in Salem, Ore., in August to qualify for the national competition.

The team’s time in the regional competition was the 39th best in the nation. But the firefighters have trained for up to 14 hours a week for the last four months hoping to improve. Their goal is to finish among the top 10 teams nationwide.

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