Michael Arnold trains for Fire Fit Nationals at Fire Station No. 2 on Sept. 11, 2023. Arnold, Steven Seymour and Josh Hauck will compete in Sarnia, Ont. this week. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

In Memory of Curtis Noble

City firefighters up to the test for FireFit Nationals

Sep 11, 2023 | 4:32 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A trio of Medicine Hat firefighters are off to Ontario this week, where the vital skills they have for their life-saving job will be put to the test in a competitive environment.

Their entry into FireFit Nationals isn’t just about testing their mettle against firefighters from across Canada. They’re doing it in memory of a fallen brother.

Steven Seymour, Michael Arnold and Josh Hauck are getting in one last training session on Monday before the big stage calls them this week. They are running the tower stairs at Fire Station No. 2, pounding the Kaiser machine and dragging the hose. The training run for the FireFit National relay ends when rescue dummy Rescue Randy is safe.

“It promotes fitness, camaraderie and it shows public what a firefighter may have to do at a fire scene. But they wrap it up in an event so firefighters have something to strive for and have fun with,” explains Seymour, the unofficial team captain.

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Seymour is a FireFit veteran, competing most years since 1998 and humbly says he’s won numerous individual and team awards.

“We’ve won multiple medals through regionals and nationals and various whether they’re golds or silvers or bronze,” he says.

Arnold is a relative newcomer to FireFit, with only two previous competitions under his belt. He and Seymour medalled in the two-man relay once.

They’ve been focusing on consistency throughout their training

“Whether it’s building strength through the winter and your cardio capacity to be more sport-specific when it gets closer to the race,” he says. “So coming down to the fire hall and trying to set up the course that we can the best that we can and then actually trying to run the actual course.

“I definitely think that having that experience and running it a few times will help us at nationals.” – _{Michael Arnold}

Arnold says as an older team they’ve been careful not to push too hard in training, trying to save as much as they can for the event. On the plus side, he says age can bring with it the benefit of wisdom

“I think so. I hope so anyways,” he says with a laugh. “I definitely think that having that experience and running it a few times will help us at nationals.”

The three have extra motivation this year to put on good performances.

This year they’re running in honour of Curtis Noble, their firefighting brother who passed away unexpectedly in December.

Arnold says local sponsors are making it possible for the three to travel to Sarnia, Ont. to compete

They remember Noble for his big heart and he’ll be on their minds throughout the week.

“It’s hard to speak about him honestly. I get a little emotional,” says Arnold. “It was a big surprise to us and a big loss to us when we lost him. So it means a lot to us and I think it means a lot to not only the team but the whole department.”

“It’s not just FireFit he’s left a legacy with. Whether it’s union, being proactive in the community, he’s a big man with a big heart, right? And what he’s left is bigger than he ever was,” says Seymour.

The competition starts with wild card days on Wednesday and the full event runs until Sunday.