Top firefighters in St. John's for intense fitness competition
Firefighters from across North America were in St. John's this weekend, competing in a gruelling fitness competition called FireFit.
The event involved a series of physical challenges that simulate firefighters' experience on the job, such as racing up stairs, axing through a roof, hauling hoses up tall buildings and dragging lifeless 175-pound victims for more than 50 metres.
"I've done sports all my life, and this is still the toughest two minutes in sport I've ever done," said Jacqueline Rasenberg, captain with Vaughan Fire and Rescue in Ontario.
Rasenberg is a world FireFit champion with 14 years of competition under her belt.
She's won nine world titles, eight Canadian titles, and holds the record for individual females over 40.
Rasenberg said she won't be slowing down anytime soon.
"I'm getting close to 50, and it gets harder as you get older. That's the reason why I don't want to stop doing this competition. It keeps me young, it keeps me strong," she said.
"It just shows that, you know what, even at my age and being a female, you can do this job."
More women becoming firefighters, competing
Several female firefighters took part in the St. John's competition.
Rasenberg said that's a sign of the growing number of women entering the firefighting profession. In her department alone, there are 30 female firefighters on the job, many of whom are captains.
"It's great seeing all these new females coming in and doing it," she said, adding that women are more than capable of being excellent firefighters.
"The guys that I work with, they're the ones that encourage me all the time. They're like, 'You know what, when you're on the truck with us, we know we have no problems.' I prove my strength and my ability every day to them."
