Annual Montreal firefighters’ event highlights heroism, bravery

The annual Montreal firefighters’ family event welcomed thousands of adults and children at Angrignon Park over the weekend, with sporting events and activities highlighting the athletic endurance firefighters must go through. 

More than 118 firefighters from all over Canada attended and competed in the annual Canadian Firefit Championship, a relay race where firefighters climbed up and down a five-storey tower with a 50-pound firehose on their shoulder, and ran around obstacles dragging a 175-pound dummy.

Chris Ross, president of the Montreal Firefighters Association, said the physical challenge shows the public how they would simulate a rescue within minutes, while testing each firefighter’s ability to manage obstacles using strength and skill.

“The people that are the best in Canada will be doing that in a minute and 15 seconds and they do that with all of their firefighting equipment,” Ross said.

“They’ve got about 75 to 85 pounds on their back and that’s full certified firefighting equipment with the SCBA and the mask on.“ 

Firefighters from all over the country competed in the event, with some representing Quebec, Yukon, Ontario and the Maritimes.

Ross praised the mental strength, rigor and sense of duty that Montreal firefighters play in front-line rescue and intervention. He said the event brings together firefighters and the public in a family friendly manner, offering free BBQ and an opportunity to witness what it takes to manage stressful situations.

Ross said they wanted to bring a more positive display of firefighters, which is sometimes not the case during emergencies.

“Everyone loves firemen and we don’t really get to interact with the public often,” he said. “They call 911 we show up, lights and sirens, we get out of the truck, we fix the problem, we leave.

“This give us a chance to interact a little bit.”

The event featured displays of antique firetrucks and state of the art models for families to engage with, along with a miniature firefighters course for toddlers and an interactive simulated extrication of road accident victims.

“We do so much more than fight fires today, we do water rescue, high-angle rescue, ice rescue, trench rescue, hazardous materials,” Ross said.

Ross said 80 per cent of the call volume in Montreal is now medical emergency and that “the bread and butter” of the city’s fire department is now cardiac arrest.

“We do a lot more medical than we do anything fire related now and that’s reflected in the survival rate in Montreal. If you look at the survival rate of a cardiac incident in Montreal, it skyrocketed over the last 15 years.”

Ross hopes the public takeaways from the annual event is that they’ll have a new appreciation for the work done across the island of Montreal. He emphasized how essential it is for people to see firefighters in uniform as they operate at high speeds.

“The equipment we’re wearing today is equipment we wear 365 days a year,” he said.

“We don’t have a winter suit or a summer suit; we wear the same thing day in, day out. ”