Bangor Daily News
BANGOR, Maine — Armed with reciprocating saws and a bit of bravado, four-man teams from the Bangor and Brewer fire departments squared off Thursday in their second NH Bragg challenge.
Their mission was to see which department could cut a 10-by-12 wooden structure in half in the least amount of time.
Though Bangor has won both times, participants said Thursday that who wins and who loses “is no big thing.”
To make things interesting, organizers added sections of metal to the structure, requiring that firefighters frequently change the blades in the reciprocating saws they were using.
Competitors also had to “rescue” mannequins from inside the building.
Representing Bangor were Capt. John Prentiss, paramedics Nate Snyder and Dan Landers, and firefighter John Gray, who drives a ladder truck. Representing Brewer were Lt. Mike Mullen and firefighters Erik Tourtillotte, Jim Burns and Jason Chasse.
The rivalry was a friendly one between the two departments, which show up at each other’s major fires, sometimes train together and back each other up in other ways.
Thursday’s contest marked the second firefighter challenge NH Bragg has held at its headquarters on Perry Road in Bangor.
The first was held in 2008, when Bangor and Brewer firefighters raced to see who could cut a school bus in half in the least amount of time.
“It’s friendly competition. When we’re on the fire grounds, there is no competition. We’re all working for the same team, working toward the same goal,” said Bangor fire Capt. Tom Higgins, who stopped by to cheer the competitors on.
“It was quite entertaining. It’s quite a sight to see,” Higgins said.
Prentiss, who also led Bangor’s crew in 2008, added, “There’s no trophy - just bragging rights. We’re all good friends.”
Brewer’s Tourtillotte agreed.
“It’s friendly. It’s all in good fun. Everyone had a good time doing it. We all know each other,” he said. “It was really neat for me be involved because my uncle [NH Bragg employee Lew Tourtillotte] helps pull this event together.”
Though there wasn’t a trophy, both teams did not leave empty-handed.
NH Bragg marketing coordinator Angela Bohovich said that with the help of the company’s vendors, each fire department was given about $3,000 worth of tools and supplies tucked into a gear bag donated by Ergodyne.
Each prize package included a 28-volt Dewalt drill and reciprocating saw combination kit, floodlights and rescue flashlights from Streamlight, saw blades from LENOX and the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp., pry bars from GearWrench and traffic safety cones from Jackson Safety. Bohovich said each department also received an assortment of other equipment including safety glasses, work gloves, harnesses, ropes and first aid kits.
Prentiss said that most of the equipment the departments either would have to buy or go without, “so we’re very grateful for all that stuff.”
Tourtillotte was impressed by the cones, which he said were collapsible and as such will take up much less space on firetrucks than the conventional kind.
Copyright 2010 Bangor Daily News