Firefighter Combat Challenge comes to North Charleston this weekend

The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge will be coming to North Charleston this weekend. The event is being offered to promote the physical fitness of firefighters, and will be part of the 20-plus Challenge tour to be held throughout the United States in 2012.

While you must be a firefighter to take part in the competition, the public is encouraged to come and watch as the participants navigate the Challenge course or “The toughest two minutes in sports,” as it’s frequently known.

The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge will be held at Tanger Outlet, located at 4840 Tanger Outlet Blvd, North Charleston, SC 29418. The individual competition starts at Friday, May 18 at 4:00pm. The tandem and team relays begin on Saturday, May 19 at 11:00 am.

Firefighters competing in the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge will be competing in a five-evolution event, which includes a 5-story tower climb with high-rise pack, hose hoist, forcible entry, hose advance, and victim rescue. Competitions shall include individual, team, tandem, and relay. Firefighters will vie for times, points, and placement qualifying them for the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge World Challenge, to be held in November 2012.

 “The Firefighter Combat Challenge is set to showcase the hard work of our local fire departments that keep us safe during our times of need. The intricacy of their equipment and tasks are most often overlooked by the public, but the complexity of the profession is definitely real. This spectacular event, featuring the firefighter’s brain and brawn, will offer us the rare, yet exciting peak into the actions of the brave men and women that put their lives on the line for us every day,” stated Mayor Keith Summey.


This year’s Combat Challenge is being held in conjunction with the Annual Safe Kids Bike Rodeo and Safety Day at the Fire Museum. The North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Saturday, May 19, 2012, with a full day of family fun activities to entertain while raising awareness to prevent accidental childhood injury.

The Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge was founded 20 years ago, by Dr. Paul Davis, as a physical fitness research project at the University of Maryland. The Challenge is based out of Burtonsville, Maryland, and maintains a goal of promoting fitness within the first responder community.

For more information about the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge, please visit http://www.firefighterchallenge.com, or call 301.421.4433.