Two King County Fire District 20 (Skyway) volunteer firefighters will compete today (Saturday) during the 2008 World Firefighter Combat Challenge in Las Vegas.

Eric Weitz and Zach Filer (a former Fire District 20 volunteer) will compete in the tandem portion of the challenge.

In the challenge, pairs firefighter pairs simulate the physical demands of real life firefighting by competing on a linked series of five tasks while wearing full bunker gear and a Scott breathing apparatus (SCBA).

Dominating the landscape is a five-story hydraulic tower, the centerpiece of activity. Competitors climb to the top of the tower carrying a 42-pound high-rise pack, then hoist a 42-pound hose roll to the top. Next, they descend to the ground floor, where they simulate chopping by swinging a nine-pound shot mallet on the end of a 160- pound steel beam.

They then zigzag 140 feet through simulation hydrants to the fourth station, where they advance an attack hose a distance of 75 feet. Finally, competitors drag a life-sized, 175-pound “victim” 100 feet to the finish line.

Weitz and Filer qualified for world’s back in July when the event was in Seattle.

More information on the World Firefighter Combat Challenge is available at http://new.firefighterchallenge.com/index.htm