Rookie Firefighters bring it on Published March 30, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Anne Gathua 17th Training Wing/Public Affairs GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Fitness, morale and esprit de corps....that was the aim of the Rookie Firefighter Challenge hosted by the 312th Training Squadron, March 27 at the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy. Known as the toughest two minutes in sports, the challenge is a competition in which teams and individuals are pushed to their physical limits doing various firefighting exercises. The competition is a survival series in which teams are timed and those with the shortest time advance. The first part of the course requires participants to carry a 45-pound hose up five stories without missing a step. Once there, another 45-pound hose is hoisted up the five flights. The next leg of the obstacle simulates forceable entry with participants swinging a sledge hammer to a 150-pound block. The final leg of the course requires participants to drag a hose approximately 50 feet aiming for a target ten feet away. A 175-pound dummy awaits the 50-foot drag to the finish line. "We had our biggest turn out yet, with 28 teams from all over the base coming out to participate, said Marine Sgt. William Alexander, an instructor at the fire academy. "The challenge is open to everyone and we appreciate support from different teams outside the Fire Academy."
