Montgomery ready to host Firefighter Combat Challenge again

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Montgomery is hosting the 3M Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championship through Saturday. More than 500 firefighters from 15 states and nine different countries are already in Alabama’s capital city and more are expected to arrive later in the week.

The challenge is a display of everything it takes to be a firefighter, and it is intense. ESPN calls this competition the toughest two minutes in sports, but it’s really anything BUT a sport. And the best in the world finish the challenge in well under two minutes.

Every event in this challenge correlates to the demands of firefighters’ jobs. Wearing “full bunker gear” and the Scott 5.5 Air-Pak breathing apparatus, pairs of competitors race head-to-head, performing a linked series of five tasks including climbing the five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-sized, 175 lb. “victim” as they race against themselves, their opponent and the clock.

Montgomery’s relay team has won the world championship four out of the last five years! And Montgomery firefighter Jake Lanier is currently ranked No. 2 in the world!

The City of Montgomery has hosted the World Championship three times and has also hosted four regional competitions and a national competition.

The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge World Championship takes place in the city parking lot at the corner of Commerce and Tallapoosa Streets. It’s free and open to the public.

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