Published: October 07, 2006

GREENUP — It’s serious work.

But there’s nothing wrong with polishing skills and having a little fun.

That’s what Greenup County firefighters from various agencies were doing Saturday evening at Old Fashion Days in Greenup during the first-ever Firefighter Olympics.

There weren’t any medals, and there were only two events: The bunker gear relay and the barrel fill. And there weren’t any rivalries like the U.S./Soviet clashes of the Olympic Games during the Cold War.

“The only people we’re mad at are the guys from our own department,” laughed Maloneton Volunteer Fire Department member Rob Moore. “Only four of our guys showed up.”

Moore was one of the participants in the gear relay, where firefighters must put on their bulky, complicated gear as quickly as possible, and then run to the other side of the course and tag a teammate, who must then do the same.

It can be a little tricky.

“They say if you can get all of this stuff on in a minute, you’re flying,” Moore said.

The Maloneton team of four would finish in four minutes and fifty-five seconds.

The Wurtland department would take an extra two minutes, but they weren’t discouraged.

“It all depends on how often you put this stuff on,” said Wurtland volunteer firefighter Justin Howell. “It’s good training.”

The barrel fill requires even more skill and endurance. During this drill, teams must fill a barrel located several yards away with water from a fire hose.

One member must watch the barrel and coordinate the team on the hose, who are trying to aim the massively pressurized stream of water firing from their hands.

“They’ve gotten comfortable down there,” said Kenneth Barney, vice president of the Greenup County Firefighters Association and a member of both the Little Sandy and Wurtland volunteer departments, as he watched a crew fire the water from a sitting position.

“Their arms will wear out,” he said. “You have to have a lot of accuracy, and it really wears you out.”

In the end, Barney said, the event is about having fun, but also providing some useful exercises for the firefighters.

“It’s all about communicating and coordinating with your team,” he said.

BEN FIELDS can be reached at bfields@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.