If you’ve got a burning desire to watch the Pontiac’s firefighters test their skills in a head-to-head competition, this year’s Shawville Fair has exactly what you’re looking for. 

Monday morning’s schedule will feature some scalding hot action this year with the return of the firefighter’s challenge, which will bring teams of firefighters from departments across the Pontiac to the Shawville Fairgrounds to compete in all sorts of skill-testing challenges.  

According to organizer and Mansfield-et-Pontefract fire chief Patrick Bertrand, this kind of competition used to be a staple at the Fair, but stopped being held about a decade ago. Bertrand said this year he was approached to see if he would organize it as a throwback to Fairs gone by. 

“It’s the 170th fair, so we were looking at what activities they did in the past, and they said, well, we could maybe try to do this, because it was appreciated by the public in the past,” said Bertrand, who is a member of the Fair board. 

While Bertrand is keeping the exact details of the competition close to the vest, he said there will be a “wide variety” of challenges firefighters will have to complete, showcasing various skills. 

Each department may send a team of firefighters, with substitutions allowed for specific challenges. Judges will follow each team as they complete the circuit, awarding a combined score at the end. The highest scoring team will win the competition. 

He said the judges will be evaluating everything from the speed and skill of the challenges, to whether firefighters are wearing their bunker suits properly and safely. 

“We go by check marks, and he might lose a point there, and then his gloves might not be on correctly, so that’s another point. That’s how it’s going to be based.” 

Shawville-Clarendon chief Lee Laframboise, who is helping organize the competition, said the event wasn’t always done in teams. He said individual contestants used to compete in a long list of events such as rolling a hose, hitting a sledgehammer, playing target practice with a hose, then dragging a dummy. 

“But it took about a minute-thirty to two minutes to do it, each guy. Some of them had to visit the ambulance after they were done. It was hard,” he said, emphasizing that having teams will make it easier on the competitors. 

Pontiac Ouest deputy chief Ian Payne said since departments are not privy to the exact nature of the challenges in the competition, his team has been using the practices as a chance to practice “bread-and-butter” firefighting. 

“Being able to deploy a hose effectively, managing our hose lines, being able to spray water effectively, communication, also our ability to do search and rescue inside of buildings,” he provided as examples.

Payne said his department has also been using the practices as a way to work with their neighbouring Waltham Fire Department, whom they rely on for mutual aid. He said it has been nice to see chemistry developing between both teams of firefighters. 

“They’re our first line when we need backup in Pontiac Ouest. They’re the first ones that we call and it’s really good to be able to get to know the crews and get them mingling together.” 

Bertrand said while the challenge is technically a competition, he sees it as a way for younger firefighters to get some experience under a bit of pressure, and for older firefighters to brush up on their skills. 

He said the event will also provide good visibility for the fire departments. When firefighters are at work, he said, it is tough for the public to see the full scope of what they do since the scene is taped off. But he added that the competition will be a chance for the public to get up close and personal with their work. 

“They’ll be able to see a firefighter closer at what he does, and there’s no actual pressure like a fire or an accident or something like that. People will come afterwards. The kids, they want to touch the equipment. They want to hug a firefighter. They want to talk with them. So, that’s the main goal of all this.” 

Payne said he is looking forward to his firefighters having the experience of a timed and judged competition, as well as connecting with other firefighters from across the region. 

“I think it’s going to be an opportunity to get that type of pressure on them, eyes of the public to be able to operate under that pressure. Whenever you’re off to the races, that’s when it counts.” 

The firefighter’s challenge will be off to the races at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 7 at the Shawville Fairgrounds, before the demolition derby takes to the ring in the afternoon.