Vaughan firefighters set world record at FireFit championships

Billy Carlisle, Victoria Myddelton claim national title in Mixed X3 Relay

YorkRegion.com
Sept. 29, 2016
By Adam Martin-Robbins

Two Vaughan firefighters took on the "toughest two minutes in sports" and set a new world record en route to being crowned Canadian champions in a mixed team relay event.

Billy Carlisle, 29, and Victoria Myddelton, 26, competed in the FireFit Canadian National Finals in Calgary, Alberta from Sept. 14 to 19.

The competition, formerly known as the Canadian FireFighter Combat Challenge, sees competitors tackle a series of firefighting tasks in full bunker gear.

It’s so gruelling, the challenge is billed as the "toughest two minutes in sports".

Carlisle and Myddelton competed together in the Mixed X3 Relay and won in a world record time of 1:47:18.

The previous record time of 1:47:20 was set by another duo days prior.

“It felt like a good race,” said Myddelton, a Barrie resident, who has served on the Vaughan fire service for a year. “I was happy with it. Then we watched the last race go so we knew we had won nationals, at that point. It was just another added bonus hearing that we won the (world record). It couldn’t get any better.”

The Mixed X3 Relay features two-person teams - one male, one female - completing a series of firefighting tasks in full gear including an air cylinder, which teammates exchange at the halfway point, according to the FireFit web page.

Each team member completes half the course.

The first half sees one teammate climb a fire tower, hoist a 45-lb. hose up the side of the tower and over the railing then chop a forcible entry simulator.

After that, the team members complete an air cylinder exchange so that the cylinder worn by first competitor ends up on the second competitor's back, properly connected.

The second teammate sprints 140 ft. through a row of hydrants, grabs a fire hose filled with water, drags it 45 ft. then shoots at a target.

The final task is to pull a 165-lb. rescue dummy while running backwards 100 ft. to the finish line.

“We’ve always known we were going to put down a really good time, it was just a matter of cleaning up our run and making sure we just execute the plan and do what needs to be done to have a clean run,” said Carlisle, an Orangeville resident who has served on Vaughan fire service for three years.

“We busted our butts training all year long. Lots of weekends missed and hundreds of hours spent at the tower and we pulled out a first place finish at nationals, on the big stage.”

The countless hours of training, especially at the fire tower in Brampton, often at the end of a 24-hour shift at the Vaughan fire hall was the toughest part, they said.

Vaughan Fire Chief Larry Bentley praised the young firefighters for their achievement.

“They’re just excellent role models for our organization and what we’re trying to achieve here in terms of health and wellness,” he said. “It’s our goal to be the fittest fire service in the province of Ontario and the healthiest.”