Stn 27 enters fire fighting Rescue Challenge:

The Station 27 team.On the 17^th of October members from NSRI Station 27 (Victoria Lake) entered the South African Emergency Care Scott Safety fire fighting Rescue Challenge to celebrate World Trauma Day. The team consisted of Dr Willem Sprong (Deputy Station Commander), Kyle Grove, Ibraheem Jooma Pilodia, Juan Greyling and Clive Conlon.Our team was the first to compete against the Sibanya Gold Mine Rescue team and was led by our Deputy Statcom, Dr Willem Sprong who provided the team with a great strategy as well as the much needed support.The race started off with Juan Greyling flying up five flights of stairs with a 25kg weight over his shoulder. Once he reached the top he was required to use an over hand method to hoist a 20kg doughnut ring from ground floor to the top of the platform to which he then had to descend the platform placing each foot on each stair. The baton was then handed over to Kyle Grove who was on hammer duty; using a rubber mallet he had to hit a massive steal bar back over a set distance and not lifting the mallet higher than 90 degrees. The baton was then handed to Ibraheem Jooma Pilodia who was required to run a zig-zag around a bunch of fire hydrants, collect a fire hose and run straight through two swing doors and discharge the hose towards a target. The challenge was completed with Clive Conlon dragging Oscar, a 80kg training mannequin, over a 30 metre distance. Our team had completed the course in 3 minutes 28 seconds; not only did they beat Sibanye Gold Mine Rescue we obtained the position of 5^th overall 1 minute behind the leaders, against a total of 21 teams. The Main event of the day was between SAEC Station 33, who were competing on home soil, and Netcare FECC. The main event provided for much entertainment with Station 33 coming out on top and winning the main event with a time of 2 minutes and 28 seconds. The overall event was one by City of Johannesburg EMS Florida Reserve Force with a time of 3 minutes 18 Seconds. Dr Willem SprongDr Willem Sprong, Deputy Station Commander of Station 27, competed in the solo Scott Safety fire fighting Rescue Challenge and taught his fellow crew how a real leader leads from the front. Dr Sprong was a true champion and delivered an awe inspiring performance that entertained the crowds, unfortunately Dr Sprong suffered an asthma attack during his race and only managed to finish 2^nd, out of 26 competitors, with a time of 3 minutes 17 seconds. A spectacular time which has brought him much respect amongst the crew and fellow EMS participants alike.