The Hungarian and foreign firefighters who competed in a superhuman fight on June 23 at the 2023 “TFA-FCC HUNGARY-Szombathely”, i.e. the country’s strongest firefighter, international firefighting competition, testified to their strength, endurance and endurance.
The prize in the category of professionals was won by fire sergeant Zoltán Karsai, the starter of the professional fire brigade in Mosonmagyaróvár, and the Hungarian winner of the absolute category was János Kiss, a volunteer firefighter from Bolhás, so he was able to receive the traveling cup.
Anyone who visited Fő tér in Szombathely, in the heart of the Vas county, on Friday stumbled upon a firefighter dressed in full protective gear. There was no live deployment or exercise, they came to play sports, to prove that they are the strongest firefighters in the country. A total of 91 competitors took part, including three women, as well as athletes from Croatia, Poland, Slovakia and Austria.
At the opening, the contestants were presented by dr. András Nemény, Mayor of Szombathely County City and dr. He was greeted by fire brigade general Balázs Bognár, director of the Vas Vármegyei Disaster Management Directorate. Firefighter Colonel Zoltán Fülep, chief fire inspector of the BM National Directorate General of Disaster Management, dr. Gulyásné, monitored every moment of the competition. Firefighter colonel Tímea Gyurka, head of the office and firefighter colonel Ágnes Vietórisz, head of human services.
The runners did not have an easy task, they also had to deal with the scorching heat. During the trials, among other things, the competitors ran up to a twelve-meter-high platform carrying a nineteen-kilogram hose on their shoulders, then pulled up an equally heavy coiled hose, which was placed in a basket, and then ran off the platform. After that, they hit a piece of beam with a four-kilogram hammer, and then they had to shoot at the target with the so-called “C” beam. After all this, they also had to drag an eighty-kilogram dummy into the finish line.
After a short break, the second competition course came, where they could perform without breathing apparatus. Here, they struck fifty-fifty blows with a five-kilogram hammer, and then two suitcases weighing fifteen kilograms each were taken to the designated place. The course was closed by twisting two pieces of the “B” hose together. The stopwatch counter only stopped when the hose could be placed in the bag and the red button was pressed. The final result was formed from the sum of the time results produced on the two tracks. The female competitors were given relief in some events, but they also had to complete the course in time.
The event was very popular. The sound of family members and colleagues cheering was interrupted only by hammer blows and the gasps of firefighters gasping for air. The organizers made sure that no one was bored. The event was made more colorful with professional presentations, family and children’s programs. Before the closing event, the visitors could listen to the field music of the Central Band of Disaster Management and enjoy the concert of the Mokka Tribute Band. At the results announcement, firefighter Colonel Zoltán Fülep praised the sports performance of the firefighters.
Frantisek Ridzon, a competitor of TFA Team Slovakia, was the best among men in the under-30 competition, the category between 30-40 years was won by János Kiss, a member of the Volhás Voluntary Firefighters Association of Somogy County, and in the over-40 category, the Slovakian team won reinforcement Adrian Ficik ran the best time. In the women under 30 years, the runner of the KÖTÉL Association, Eszter Török, won first place, while among the over 40 years, Borbála Komáromi-Raisz, a competitor of the Szentendre volunteers, won the first place.
The Hungarian winner’s title in the category of professionals was won by fire sergeant Zoltán Karsai, the starter of the professional fire department in Mosonmagyaróvár. And the Hungarian winner of the absolute category was János Kiss, a volunteer firefighter from Bolhás, so he was able to receive the wanderer’s cup.
The County of Hajdú-Bihar was represented by chief firefighter Máté Fegyverneki, who received an award as part of the best performing “men’s team” and the best performing “mixed” team, the Disaster Management Authority informed.
(Debreceni Nap)
Photos: Péter Szőke BM OKF
