The Washington Association of Future Firefighters will host its annual “Fire Muster” on Saturday, May 18, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Fire Explorers and Cadets from around the region will gather to compete in firefighting and emergency medical skills events at the Renton Fire and Emergency Services Department’s Training Center, located at Fire Station 14,1900 Lind Ave. S.W.

The participants are between the ages of 14 and 20 who are exploring a career in the field of fire and emergency services.  Many fire departments throughout the state sponsor fire explorer or cadet programs to expose young people to the typical duties of firefighters.

Events for the muster will include competitions in turnout clothing and breathing apparatus donning, search and rescue, fire hose “make-and-break”, fire hydrant connection, ropes and knots, and firefighter “combat challenge”.

New this year is the EMS Skills – ‘Backboarding’ event, which is designed to give participants a chance to work together as a team to carefully package a simulated patient, with a suspected spinal injury, to a backboard, and successfully navigate several obstacles, similar to those that may be encountered in an Urban Search and Rescue type scenario.

All events are scored as a team and some events are also scored individually.  Awards are presented at the end of the day to the top performers.  If they want to win, competitors will not only have to work well as a team, they’ll also need to bring their ‘A’ game individually.