HILLSBOROUGH: Young ‘Olympians’ to get lessons on firefighting

By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
   The Winter Olympics may not begin until February, but Hillsborough’s Fire Company No. 2 is getting a jump start on the season with an Olympic game that is being described with four words — slide, crawl, drag and squirt.
   This is the subtitle for the upcoming first Kids Firefighter Olympics to be held Sunday at the firehouse on Route 206.
   As the fire company began to prepare for its upcoming 12th annual Firefighter Olympics — designed for firefighters across New Jersey — several members decided it was time to get the kids in on the fun.
   ”We’ve been talking about this for a while,” said Doug Matthews, former fire chief and committee chairman for the Firefighter Olympics, which are held in October. “We decided to have this for the kids so they could see what the firefighters do. It is a healthy, educational and fun event.”
   The Firefighter Olympics, which are based on a televised “Firefighter Combat Challenge,” take participants through five different stages with the best time being declared the winner.
   First, Mr. Matthews said, participants are required to climb a five-story tower carrying a high-rise pack that contains about 100 feet of hose.
   Once they get to the top, Mr. Matthews said, they must pull a large-diameter hose, weighing 47 pounds, to the top of the tower, then use a sledgehammer to pound through a block of iron — made by C&F Metal Fabricators on Sunnymead Road — to simulate chopping through a roof for ventilation.
   ”Then they go through a serpentine course of 130 feet to pick up a charged hose,” he said, adding they must shoot a target with the water and return the hose to its rightful place before picking up a 175-pound mannequin to be carried to safety to simulate a rescue.
   ”They are racing against the clock in the five stages,” he said. “These are five evolutions the firefighters would do in fires.”
   Those with the best times, Mr. Matthews said, receive trophies at the end of the day.
   In the upcoming Kids Firefighter Olympics, Mr. Matthews said, participating children, ages 4 through 8, will be going through a scaled-down version of what the adults do, minus the actual competition element.
   ”Everyone gets a prize,” he said, noting they are not going to time the participants, and everyone will receive a ribbon just for taking part.
   Basically, Mr. Matthews said, participating kids will carry a smaller high-rise pack up an inflatable slide before sliding back down again, crawl through a tunnel to simulate going through smoke, pound through a smaller block of iron for ventilation and drag a 14-pound mannequin to safety.
   The event will end with the children spraying a hose at a moving target.
   ”This finishes with the hose and target because all kids like to squirt water,” Mr. Matthews said.
   Mr. Matthews said the participants, who must live in Hillsborough to take part, also will have the opportunity to wear smaller versions of the gear the firefighters use and will be able to see the actual equipment used in real fires.
   ”This event is being done to have the kids and adults see what the firefighters do,” he said. “It will be educational and a kickoff to the regular event in October.”
   Mr. Matthews said that in preparing for the event, he spoke to several other companies that hold similar events to gather advice for what ages could participate.
   ”Under 4 years old, they have a hard time comprehending (the rules),” he said. “Over 8 years old, they can be too competitive. This was a logistical thing.”
   For this year, Mr. Matthews said, the fire company is not asking people to sign up for the program in advance. He said they will take whoever shows up and give each person an opportunity.
   ”Everyone will go one at a time,” he said. “If we have a large turnout, we will have to look into that for next year. But people can show up at any time during the event.”
   Although he does not know how the event will be received, Mr. Matthews said he believes this will be an opportunity for children to learn more about the job of a firefighter.
   ”This is just a fun event,” he said. “We want everyone to have a good time.”
   The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.