A B.C. firefighter was the only Canadian competitor to win a medal at the IAFF Fire Fighter Olympics in Las Vegas.
Matthew Majeur from the Township of Langley fire department took silver, completing a challenging obstacle course that simulated the physical demands of the profession.
“It was just a really, really cool event,” Majeur told the Langley Advance Times.
“It consists of hose drags, sled pulls, then there’s a ladder, like a treadmill ladder you have to do, there’s a sledgehammer, there’s a hoist and pull station, pretty much all of the physical aspects of the job.”
All while wearing a weighted pack that simulates the heavy protective gear fire fighters wear.
It took the Langley firefighter about three minutes to complete.
A Facebook post by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Langley local 4550 praised Majeur for rising to the challenge of a “grueling obstacle course built to push firefighters to their absolute limits.”
“We’re incredibly proud of the effort, grit, and professionalism he brought to the international stage,” the statement said.
Majeur, a 29-year-old Brookswood resident, has been with the Township fire department for two-and-a-half years.
He explained the appeal of the profession as “mostly just really being part of a team, like working together and getting close with the people you work with and having a relationship that goes beyond the job with the people you’re with. And then obviously giving back to the community and being able to help out, to help others and then feel like you’ve done something meaningful at the end of the day. “
Majeur went to Las Vegas as a member of the Township of Langley Firefighters local’s executive and safety committee.
They were among nearly 2,000 unionized professional firefighter reps who attended the Strive for Excellence Summit. The conference offered five days of workshops, with five full days of hands-on training that ran March 28-April 1, with the olympics running over the last two days.