Skills on show: The action will be fierce at the Firefighter State Championships, to be held in Mooroopna.
Photo by
Steve Huntley
CFA volunteers from across Victoria will be heading to Mooroopna for the Firefighter State Championships from Saturday, March 18.
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The events will be held at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve, with the urban junior state championships starting this weekend (March 18 and 19) and the senior urban, senior rural and junior rural events to be held the following weekend.
CFA Deputy Chief Officer Kaylene Jones said there had been an extraordinary amount of work to ensure the 2023 championships could still be held in Mooroopna, with the event providing a much-needed boost to the local community after the devastating floods in October last year.
Having a go: Participants at last year’s state urban junior firefighting championships, which were also held in Mooroopna.
“At one point, there was more than a metre of water over the running track at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve,” she said.
“Many CFA members across the state were involved in flood response and recovery, not to mention the members who sadly lost their homes.
“The state championships are a big part of CFA’s volunteer culture, and promotes the important values of teamwork and respect, as well as engaging our members in some friendly competition with like-minded competitors.”
Events at the state championships are based on practical firefighting activities, with the focus on physical fitness, teamwork and equipment skills by using hoses, hydrants and other equipment.
Gerard Williams from the Euroa brigade has been involved for more than 40 years, both as a coach and competitor, and said the local competitions and state championships were important for volunteers because of the focus on teamwork.
“They take part in both wet and dry events, which feature drills including hydrant setting, hose bowling and water spraying,” he said.
“We’ve seen some juniors over the years with low self-esteem and lacking confidence go on to become confident adults with great careers. I believe being part of a brigade team plays a big part in that.
“The physical side of competing is great, even for those who aren’t athletic by nature. It's excellent for CFA because the general public can see what we do and young people see what’s going on and might be inspired to join their local brigades.”
The Mooroopna Recreation Reserve will be open to the public both weekends.
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