Recorder
LONDON, England — Fire crews from around the world competed against each other in Custom House in the first ever Firefighter Olympics.
Teams from as far apart as Ireland and New Zealand went hose-to-hose in the World Rescue Challenge at ExCeL London on Saturday and Sunday.
The free, family event pitted firefighters against each other in disciplines showing the skills they have apart from dealing with fires.
Both days featured rope challenges with firefighters rescuing people from cranes; challenges with actors being pulled from crashed cars in mock accidents with make-up and prosthetics; urban search and rescue demonstrations with firefighters rescuing people from rubble and a spectacular parachutist crash-landing into the Docks with rescue teams in speedboats.
This year’s World Rescue Challenge featured a number of firsts such as rapping firefighters performing for the crowds and penalty shoot-outs with community staff at West Ham United.
There was also a cook-off between stations - with a helping hand from catering students at Newham College - and warning demonstrations to show what happens if water is thrown over a deep fat fryer.
Families met the canine stars of many crews - the special fire dogs who are often used in investigations to discover the causes of blazes - and they also got the chance to walk around Community Safety World, a life-sized house where children can learn fire prevention tips.
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