SAMS Squad teammate takes first at nationals
GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- SAMS Squad member, Tech. Sgt. Jessica Packard, 312th Training Squadron, came home victorious last week from the National Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge held in Kissimmee, Fla., Oct. 22-24, adding a First Place trophy to her case; up two places from last year.
Racing against the clock and other female firefighters, Sergeant Packard completed what some call the toughest two minutes in sports in 2:28.24; taking the top spot in the female category.
Along with her victory, her teammates came home victorious placing third in the relay category at the national competition; up six from the previous year. These wins qualify both Sergeant Packard and the SAMS Squad relay team to compete in the World Championships later this month.
SAMS Squad is a group of six instructors at the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy. Sergeant Packard is the only female on the team - other team members include four Marines and a Soldier. She joined SAMS Squad almost two years ago and attributes her success at this year's competition to the training her teammates put her through.
"They push me and put me through all the training that they do," she said. "There's a lot of other female teams who train with just females so I think that just gives me a little more of an edge."
She said the training helps her get through the physically exhausting five-obstacle course, but having a mentality that the course is easier than what it actually is helps her get through it.
"Since I've been doing this for about a year and with the training we do, the mental part doesn't necessarily get to me until I get to the sled," she said. "By the time you get off the sled you're out of breath, your muscles feel like they can't keep going anymore and you're barely jogging through the rest of the course; you're just trying to finish it at that point."
The competition requires the firefighters to don a full bunker gear and breathing apparatus and complete a tower climb/hose carry, hose hoist, simulate a forcible entry with a sledge hammer with a weight and sled, hose advance and a victim rescue with a 175-pound dummy drag.
A gut check at the sled gets her through the rest of the course.
"I keep telling myself, 'It's just the back end of the course, there's only 200 feet left' or 'I have less than one minute left and I'm done,'" she said. "It's just keeping that positive attitude throughout the course that helps me get through it faster, rather than just quit and walk away."
Once she crosses that finish line, she looks back at what she's accomplished.
"That's when I feel like all the hard work has finally paid off," she said.
Although this is a challenge many people wouldn't willingly put themselves through, Sergeant Packard said it's the people at the competitions who keep her going.
"The people who come out to compete and the environment at the competitions make the difference because everybody is so helpful towards one another and so positive," she said. "Everybody's doing it for fun. Nobody's getting paid for it. The people definitely make the difference. I wouldn't be out here if it wasn't for them."
EVENT DESCRIPTIONS
Tower climb/hose carry: Climb 63 steps to the top of a five-story tower while carrying a 45-pound hose load.
Hose hoist: Haul a rope with a 45-pound hose roll up hand over hand to the top of the tower; then, hurry down the steps, making contact with each along the way and holding the handrails.
Forcible entry: Drive a 160-pound steel beam five feet, as if they were forcing their way into a building, using a 9-pound mallet; then, run 140 feet to the hose advance.
Hose advance: Drag a fully charged hose 75 feet, open the nozzle, spray a target, close the nozzle; then, run 30 feet to the final task.
Victim rescue: Drag the 175-pound "victim" 100 feet to the finish line.