Fastest firefighters-Air Force Academy team
sets world record
LAS VEGAS, NV, USA--During the 2009 Scott Firefighter
Combat Challenge, an Air Force Academy team (Airman 1st
Class Jessica Morehouse and Stacey Billapando,
from the Colorado Springs, Colo., Fire Department) ended with
a time of 1:52.33 in the female relay event-setting the new
world record for the Fastest
female
firefighters .
Photo:
Airman 1st Class Jessica Morehouse puts on gear before she
competes in the team relay event Nov. 18, 2009, at the Scott
Firefighter Combat Challenge in Las Vegas. Airman Morehouse
is assigned to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs,
Colo. / U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios
(enlarge
photo)
This new world record time was more than
18 seconds faster than their nearest competitors.
"I'm so excited; it was a clean, seamless
run and everything went right for us," said Airman 1st Class
Jessica Morehouse of the Academy Fire Department.
Airman Morehouse teamed up with Stacey Billapando,
from the Colorado Springs, Colo., Fire Department, to break
their old tandem record set the first day of the event with
a time of 1:59.
"We're getting faster every time and this
is the best shape all of us have been in," said Mrs. Billapando.
The Academy team raced against firefighters
from around the world in five events that simulate real on
the job situations.
Setting records is nothing new to
this team. Mrs. Billapando and Airman Morehouse first broke
the womens' tandem world record at the firefighter challenge
regionals in Omaha, Neb., with a time of 2:06.22. Their next
closest competitors clocked in at 3 minutes and 16 seconds.
A week later, the two set another world
record with a time of 2:00.78 at the nationals in Arlington,
Texas. This time they finished 40 seconds ahead of their closest
competitors. For firefighters, the Scott Firefighter
Combat Challenge is akin to the Olympics.
The competition is a chance for them to test
their physical fitness in an obstacle course that simulates
some of the challenges firefighters see on the job. They haul
water-filled hoses, drag mannequins and run up flights of
stairs in full gear.
To make the event even more challenging, participants
wear their full "bunker gear," including an air-breathing
apparatus, throughout the competition.
"This contest actually simulates what they do
on the job and they can see how they compare to other teams,"
said Brittany Davis, a firefighter combat challenge event
coordinator. Related world records: Strongest
boy-world record set by Giuliano Stroe