11 · Friday, December 4, 2009 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Oakville firefighter among world's best By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Renovate · Decorate · Celebrate H e took on some of the greatest firefighters the world had to offer and managed to come out on top at the end of the encounter. Oakville Fire Department Firefighter Shaun Henderson, 28, is once again battling fires in Oakville after competing in the 2009 World Firefighter Combat Challenge, which took place in Las Vegas mid-November. Involving hundreds of competitors from the United States, Canada, Slovenia, New Zealand and Germany, the annual challenge takes its participants to the very limits of their endurance requiring them to run a complex obstacle course while in full firefighter gear. Henderson was able to place first in this year's tandem (twoman) relay competition and11th in the individual competition where he completed the obstacle course in one minute and thirty-two seconds. This was only a few seconds away from the world champion of the competition, Dwayne Drover of the Waterloo Fire Department, who finished the obstacle course with a time of one minute and twenty-six seconds. Henderson noted that while fun to watch, the competition has extreme value that goes way beyond its ability to entertain or in the notoriety it brings to the firefighting profession. "It makes work so much easier," he said. "It makes going to an apartment fire, scaling up to the 18th floor just not as much work as it was before. The skills you need are applied there, the strength, the conditioning and working off an (oxygen) pack." Henderson, a seven-year veteran of the Oakville Fire Department, noted the physical requirements needed to complete the job-simulated obstacle course are intense. Clad in full firefighter gear, including a breathing apparatus, and carrying a 50-pound packed up hose, the participant must first race up a five-storey tower. Once at the top of the tower the participant drops the hose they are carrying and then hoists up a second hose from the ground below. When this is complete the par- Time is Precious, Mistakes are Costly and Decorating is complicated. Inquire about your Personal Design Consultation DAVID LEA / OAKVILLE BEAVER At Fitz by Design we are committed to creating breathtaking, functional spaces that are unique as the individuals living in them. CHAMPION FIREFIGHTER: Oakville firefighter Shaun Henderson holds his award for winning the tandem (two-man) relay competition in the recent 2009 World Firefighter Combat Challenge in Las Vegas.. ticipant must race down the tower and complete the force machine process of the obstacle course. This essentially involves hitting a 160-pound block with an eightpound sledgehammer until the block has been driven a certain distance. "It simulates breaking through a door or breaking through a roof with an axe," said Henderson. "You're doing this all on (oxygen) so at this point you are just completely fatigued." With the force machine complete, the participant then runs to a water-filled hose, which is dragged for eight feet before being used to extinguish a target. The participant then grabs a 185-pound rescue mannequin, which needs to be dragged about 100 feet backward. Henderson still has unpleasant memories of the first time he ran the obstacle course. "I remember stopping a couple of times," said Henderson. "I remember in my first year I stopped at the dummy and I didn't think I was going to be able to grab him to go. It was all I could do to get him up and finish, but I fell sev conquer costs ® Combine coverage an Combine coverage and omb n coverage and verage verag nd erag e DEFINITELY THERE it can also save you money ® Darryl R Demille Ins Agcy Ltd Andrew Heideman, Agent Angelo Gualtieri, Agent Deborah E Bartucci, Agent Stacey Sutherland, Agent Stephen Ostapchuk, Agent Daniel Durst, Agent See Strenuous page 13 P087023CN 08/08 statefarm.ca®