By Anthony A. Mestas
The Pueblo Chieftain
PUEBLO, Colo. — They spend most of their time competing against flames in a rigorous effort to save people in harm’s way.
On Saturday, Southern Colorado firefighters will compete against each other to see who’s the most fit and to showcase how capable they are of protecting the community.
The Pueblo County Fire Department will host the Southern Colorado Firefighter Olympiad at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Colorado State Fairgrounds near the Palace of Agriculture. The event is part of the Pueblo County Fair, which runs through Sunday.
“This is designed to bring firefighters from around Pueblo County into our Pueblo County Fair and show the people of Pueblo County what it takes to serve our communities,” said Tim Trujillo, a firefighter.
Trujillo said teams from Cheraw, La Junta and Rocky Ford also are scheduled to compete. There will be eight men’s teams and six women’s teams competing.
The firefighters will compete in three-person team events that include bench-pressing, farmer-carrying, and fireman-carries. There also will be CrossFit lifting and regular carrying and pulling, Trujillo said. The contest will end with a tug of war.
Trujillo said there also will be a children’s obstacle course.
“I think it’s going to be crazy,” Trujillo said.
“Everybody is representing either a station, a side of town or a county or a small community and that is what makes it so cool. Everyone is going to come together and we are going to see what we got.”
Trujillo said next year he plans to open the competition to local law enforcement agencies and other community members.
Copyright 2016 The Pueblo Chieftain (Pueblo, Colo.)