“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.” Waycross Fire Department Lieutenant Lance Card was talking about his participation in the 2023 Central Georgia Firefighter Combat Challenge held at the Warner Robins Fire Department Training Grounds earlier this month. The 42-year-old placed first in his age group. It was the third year he had competed in the challenge. “I’m young at heart and old in my knees and elbows and everything else,” Lt. Card said with a laugh. “Every year I’ve gone I’ve progressed. My goal this year was to finish the event in two minutes and 15 seconds and I did it in exactly that. Next year my goal is to complete it in 1:59.” Card, a Waycross native, has been with the Waycross Fire Department for seven years. He says he is fortunate to get to wake up every morning and do what he loves to do. Waycross Fire Department Batallion Chief, Jim Blackburn, Jr., said that they’re (battalion) proud of Card.
“He represents the city well when he goes off and does stuff like this and we are proud of him,” said the chief. The competition is comprised of five obstacles, all done in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The first obstacle is breaching through a front door followed by advancing a 100-foot hose line through sugar sand. “The hose plus the water that is in it is close to 120 pounds,” the firefighter said. The hose is then advanced 100 feet and shot at a target and once the target is knocked down the obstacle is complete. Obstacle three consists of a sled that is 155 pounds of metal on two runners. The metal has to be moved six feet with a nine pound sledgehammer. That is followed by pulling a 175-pound rescue dummie backwards 50 feet. The last obstacle is hoisting a section of hose up 50 feet and harnassing it off to a pole and then run across the finish line. “We’re doing all of this in 100 percent of PPE like we’re about to enter a structural fire,” Card said. “There are no shortcuts, any which way. Our heart rate goes from 75 to 220 in a matter of minutes.” Card recalled there were 58 firefighters at the combat from several different states including Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Although Card finished first in his age group (40-and-above) out of seven contestants, he also placed 19th overall.
The lieutenant said he was the oldest firefighter who participated. “As long as I’m able, I’ll go,” Card stated. “It’s cool to get to compete in something I actually do for a living. Training on shift allows me to be a better firefighter, but it also provides us (firefighters) the opportunities to go do events like that. We do a lot behind the scenes that people don’t see. “If we want to provide the best service we can to the community then we have to put in some work that doesn’t get seen.” Card said the fire gear adds about 65 pounds of weight. He stated it is designed to keep heat from them, but the downside is that it doesn’t allow their body heat to escape which causes much sweat. The lieutenant said firefighters can lose up to seven pounds of body weight per hour in water. Card added more firefighters from the Waycross Fire Department are interested in participating in the event with him. It is the hope one day the Waycross Fire Department can put a team together and compete in the team event.
Card said he wants to thank the city for always letting him go and participate in events such as this and 5k events which will make him a better firefighter.
