Ashland — The Ashland Fire Department turned in a solid sixth-place finish at the recent Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge in Lexington.

The event claims to be “the toughest two minutes in sports” and is picking up steam, showing the physical prowess of the team members.

Six members of the department — five made up the team and another competed individually — trained about five months to prepare for the obstacle course.

This was the department’s first foray in the competition and the city of Ashland bankrolled the trip. The firefighters finished first among the other Kentucky fire departments and rookie teams that competed.

The success has given the firefighters lofty goals. Engineer Jesse Ison, 30, said the department’s intentions are to train during the off-season, acquire a sponsor, attend between five or six competitions in the 21-event circuit and ultimately qualify for nationals.

“We had so much fun,” he said. “It’s all we ever talk about now. We’re hooked.”

The course includes five stations. Firefighters must climb a five-story tower, carry Randy, a 175-pound mannequin, for 100 feet and hoist 42-pound hoses, all while wearing their bunker gear.

The team’s total score was compiled by taking the top three scores and adding the points together. Ashland’s best time was 2 minutes and 10 seconds, which was impressive for first-timers. Battalion Chief John Pennington’s individual time of 3 minutes 13 seconds also impressed.

The Ashland department plans to attend another Combat Challenge in Akron, Ohio, in October. It will be running tandems — two firefighters splitting the obstacle course — and relays, with one firefighter to one station.

“We were only 22 seconds off from qualifying for world (competition),” Ison said. “We all sat down afterward and thought of ways we could have knocked off a couple of seconds. But just to be able to finish the course shows your drive.”

The competition brought the department closer through the camaraderie. There was a good contingent of friends and family on hand.

“Ashland had the most people show up,” Carl Stambaugh said. “It wasn’t just from the fire department but families. You can definitely hear them. There were so many people there the announcer asked, ‘Who’s guarding the city of Ashland?’’’

Stambaugh said the competition for the challenge was fierce.

“We were a little bit surprised,” he said. “A lot of these guys were professionals. This is what they do — travel around and compete. A lot of these guys were amazing. They looked like pro football players.”

Among fire department teams, Ashland stood tall, Stambaugh said.

“It was a good showing,” he said. “Our times weren’t too far off from (qualifying) for worlds.”

After competing the first time, the team knows more about what to expect, Stambaugh said.

“We learned a lot of secrets,” he said.

For instance, putting water on gloves helps grip the rope better. “We didn’t know we could do that,” he said.

Stambaugh said the professional teams train on the same kind of stairs that are used in the competition. The stairs are taller and a little steeper than what Ashland’s firefighters trained on for the competition.

“We have a better idea of what this is all about,” he said.

The firefighters are putting together a presentation and hope to recruit sponsors to help with expenses for future competitions.

Besides Ison and Stambaugh, the other firefighters who competed on the team were Keith Salmon, Chad Stevens and Jarrod Duncan. Pennington competed individually.

ALEX MOORHEAD is an intern for The Independent. She is a sophomore at Ohio University.