Firefighters to do battle on ESPN 2

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Michael A. Ward
  • Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency Public Affairs
Firefighting may not be a sport, but it certainly requires athleticism. Add the element of competition and it becomes "the fastest two minutes in sports," also known as the Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championships.

Nine Air Force teams participated in the challenge, which was taped by ESPN and will be broadcast this month and in January.

The Travis Air Force Base, Calif., team took third in the Survivor Relay tournament behind two teams from Canada and took second overall in the finals, losing out to a Canadian team by one second. Staff Sgt. Michael Melton, a Travis team member, finished third in the individual category.

More than 640 civilian and military firefighters from around the world participated in the championship Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Competitors, dressed in full firefighting gear, rushed through a series of physically demanding firefighting scenarios for a timed score.

About 56 Air Force firefighters participated. Other Air Force teams came from Altus and Vance AFBs in Okalahoma; Edwards AFB, Calif.; Little Rock AFB, Ark.; Ramstein and Spangdahlem ABs in Germany; RAF Mildenhall, England, and the Department of Defense Fire Academy at Goodfellow AFB, Texas.

ESPN 2 is scheduled to broadcast the Survivor Relay tournament Dec. 21 and again Jan. 6. The Firefighter Combat Challenge final is scheduled to air Jan. 11 and 24. Check local listings for times.