Eden Firemen take the honours

EDEN DISTRICT NEWS - A relay team of four firefighters from Eden District Municipality brought the winning trophy home after showing their steel at a fitness and endurance competition in Ethekwini last weekend.

Firefighters Emile Conrad, Branville Abrahams, Jano Minnie and Petrus Jordaan not only won the Grinder Challenge, but did it in a record time of 3 minutes and 28 seconds. In addition, Conrad managed to secure a second overall place in the individual challenge.

Every relay team member received a cash prize of R250, a trophy and a weekend away at a hotel in Durban. Conrad won a cash prize of R750, a trophy and a two-night stay at the Southern Sun Hotel in Durban.

Eden Manager of Community Services Clive Africa, and Eden Fire Chief Freddy Thaver accompanied the four firemen. Due to the Eden team's successes over the past couple of years as multiple winners of the Toughest Firefighter Alive competition, they received a special invitation from Ethekwini Fire and Emergency Services to compete in their sixth Fire and Emergency Services Fire-Fighter Competition at the Durban North Beach Amphitheatre.

This Grinder Challenge was hosted by Ethekwini Fire and Emergency Services on 25 and 26 August. Teams from Fire Brigades in Durban, Johannesburg, Richards Bay, Overstrand and Eden DM, as well as teams from Acsa George and Durban participated in the competition.

The annual fitness challenge is specifically for firefighters, who must complete a gruelling course of fire-fighting specific tasks/obstacles in the fastest time possible.

According to the manager of training for the Ethekwini Fire and Emergency Service, Alex Gloster, the competition is a very close match to the physical assessment their firefighters undergo internally. "The challenge is growing every year. We had 111 competitors this year. I am very impressed with the participation, and overwhelmed with the standard of the competitors," said Gloster.

The overall winner, Simiso Gumede, was crowned the “Toughest Firefighter in Kwazulu-Natal”. Gumede is a firefighter from Ethekwini and won with a time of 6 minutes and 44 seconds.

From left are Eden Fire Chief Freddy Thaver, Petrus Jordaan, Branville Abrahams, Eden Manager of Community Services Clive Africa, Emile Conrad and Jano Minnie.