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28 September 2007
West Yorkshire firefighters are travelling to Barcelona next month to compete against their colleagues from all over the world.
The team of six will represent West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service at the World Rescue Challenge from October 15 to 19.
West Yorkshire’s team, made up of incident commander Jim Butters, medic Dave Smith, tool operators Pete Owen and Lee Benson, medic and tool operators Trevor McDonald and Damian Cameron, hope to improve on their runner-up position last year, when they competed in Cape Town, South Africa.
West Yorkshire FRS has also taken part in competitions at national level for the past five years and achieved four top-10 finishes, including two fourth place finishes.
Teams from Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, Spain, South Africa and New Zealand, to name but a few, will compete in this year’s contest. They will take part in three scenarios ranging from 10 to 30 minutes, testing all aspects of vehicle rescue techniques and casualty care.
Station Manager Jim Butters said: “This competition gives us a fantastic opportunity to learn and share techniques and ideas with firefighters from all over the world.
“Competing in events of this nature allows us to learn from the very best in the world. Those lessons can then be passed on to firefighters in West Yorkshire to ensure we provide the best possible service, and firefighters from other countries can also learn form the excellent work being done in West Yorkshire.”
“We are confident that our skills and expertise will ensure that we perform well and make West Yorkshire and the UK proud.”
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For further information contact Kelly Thornham in the Media and PR Unit on 01274 655807 or Stephen Hardy on 01274 655717.