A team of cadets from the Austin Community College Fire Academy competed for the first time ever in a firefighting skills competition during the 51st annual Buda Fire Fest October 4 at the Buda City Park.

The day opened under picture-perfect, sunny skies with the singing of the national anthem by ACC student Noelle Hernandez, followed by the competition, where ACC took on fellow cadets from the neighboring Oak Hill fire academy and active firefighters from throughout the state.

“This is like the major leagues for fire academies and departments in Texas,” says Chief Paul Menches, department chair for the ACC Fire Protection Technology Program. “Being here is a very important training opportunity for our cadets.”

Suited in nearly 40 pounds of gear, cadets tackled a rigorous obstacle course, hoisting a fire hose up four flights of stairs, then back down again, and dragging it about half the length of a football field. But the final stage was the most difficult.

At the end of the obstacle course, cadets were required to pull a160-pound dummy “to safety” down the field. Many cadets stumbled, but most finished the course accompanied by reassuring chants of “you can do it” from competing teams.

“The dummy drag was the toughest part of this whole thing, probably because it’s at the end, and you’re already pretty tired and hot by then,” says ACC cadet Josh Lewis, who completed the course in one of the fastest times for the ACC team. “If it were at the beginning, it would be a totally different story.”

The day of competition and excitement came to a riveting end when Chief Menches took on the challenge in place of a cadet who was unable to compete.  To the sound of hundreds of cheering spectators, Menches fought through the heat and on to the finish line with Rescue Randy in tow. As he crossed the line, ACC cadets swarmed the field to celebrate.

The competition was tough that day, but it was a great learning experience for the cadets, who have undergone fewer than 16 weeks of training by the time of the competition, while other cadet teams have been in training since the beginning of the year.

“We definitely exceeded all expectations today, and I’m real proud of the team” says Menches. “We’re absolutely looking forward to doing this next year.”