A group of local firefighters is on top of the world.
Delta Team Westshore Terminals beat out 80 other squads from 12 countries to take top spot at the Firefighter Combat Challenge world championship in Las Vegas last month.
"Finally, this year we won it," said team manager Ryan Rickards. "I haven't stopped smiling in two weeks."
The local team started 18 years ago and has been gunning for the world title from the beginning. Rickards, 37, has been with the team for the last 13 years but firefighter Mark Millward, 50, has been there since the beginning.
Rickards said this was a big season for Millward, who made some changes to his training regime and in addition to contributing to the team win, he also won the 50 and over category.
He finished 10 seconds ahead of the next closest competitor, in spite of a torn bicep. He suffered the injury during the final race but still managed to win. Rickards said Millward then had to race home for emergency surgery to repair the tear.
The team, which also includes Jamie McGarva, Reid Taylor and Rob Lemon, started training in February and amped things up this year, working out nine times a week to get ready for the competition. Many of the firefighters have families with young children and were in the gym at all hours to get their workouts in around their shifts and family obligations.
McGarva, a world record holder, placed fourth in the individual open competition this year. Rickards said McGarva let up a bit in the individual competition to make sure the team was in contention for the overall title.
"He's our guy," he said. "He's our leader. He's 10 seconds faster than the rest of us."
Rickards said there were some tense moments at the end of the competition as the teams waited for the final results to be calculated.
"It takes the race squad half an hour to do the math," he said, adding team members tried to sequester themselves away from the crowd while waiting for the announcements.
And when it came, "We couldn't stop smiling,"
Rickards said.
The team, which has been sponsored by Westshore Terminals since its inception, holds children's events throughout the spring and summer in order to raise money to help offset travel costs. They set up at various community events and offer activities and information aimed at children.
