Event being held in conjunction with First Responder Fest in Tinley Park
Firefighters from several states and Canada are expected to descend on Tinley Park over the weekend for the Scott Safety Firefighter Combat Challenge, being held in conjunction with First Responder Fest at the village’s 80th Avenue Metra station.
Tinley Park is the second stop in a series of Combat Challenge events held around the country, and firefighters from Illinois, as well as states including Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio, are expected to take part.
It’s the second time the Combat Challenge has been held in Tinley Park, with the first taking place in 2011 at the Tinley Park Convention Center.
Firefighters compete against one another individually as well as in teams in a grueling series of five tasks that include scaling a five-story tower, hauling gear up to the tower, dragging fire hoses and rescuing a life-size fire victim. Firefighters complete all five while wearing full bunker gear and a Scott breathing apparatus.
The competition is free and open to the public, and there will be a scaled-down firefighter challenge for children.
Carnival rides will be set up both Friday and Saturday, and food, beer and other beverages will be for sale at the 350 Brewing Co. tent. Food will be offered by Salina’s Catering.
Combat Challenge competition is expected to begin at 4 p.m. Friday and at noon Sunday and will take place in the north parking lot of the Metra station, 80th Avenue and 179th Street. Parking is recommended in the south lot of the station, off Timber Drive and 76th Ave./Veterans Parkway.
The competition and First Responder Fest are being coordinated by the village, as well as the Tinley Park Fire Department Firefighter’s Association.
Tinley Park is anticipating upward of 100 firefighters to take part, but the exact number will be hard to predict because firefighters can register on Friday and don’t need to register in advance, according to Joe Smulevitz, a village firefighter.
He said that Tinley Park firefighters are competing but was unsure whether any other local suburban departments were taking part.
“It’s a killer,” he said of the challenge. “It’s something you have to prepare yourself for.”
After Tinley Park, other stops coming up on the Firefighter Combat Challenge circuit are in Florida, Virginia, Iowa and Kentucky.
The First Responder Fest came about as a way of tying in the Combat Challenge with the annual “Run for Your Life” 5K and 1K fun run, both being held Sunday with proceeds benefiting the Fire Safety Alliance’s burn camp.
Registration begins at 7 a.m., with the 5K at 8:30 a.m. and the 1K following at 9:30 a.m.
Along with carnival rides, food and beverages, the First Responder Fest will feature music from groups including St. Jimmy, Don’t Speak and 7th Heaven, according to the association.
Smulevitz said he is hopeful that the Combat Challenge and First Responder Fest become annual events for the village.
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