Local fire fighter takes third

For Ray Herbert, his second attempt at a firefighter challenge competition went better than the first though he did run into some set backs.
Herbert attended a regional event in Thunder Bay last month, taking third place in the volunteer fire fighter category and 22nd overall.
“I got beat by two guys from Ottawa,” said Herbert, explaining they had a lot more experience at the challenges. “I did pretty good.”^He also bettered the time he set the month before in Swift Current, Saskatchewan at a challenge there.
“I shaved six seconds off my time,” he said. “I’m starting to feel more confident.”^His time at the Thunder Bay competition was 2:16 minutes, qualifying him for the Wild Card Day at the Canadian National Firefighter Challenge Championship in P.E.I. in September. He had already qualified in Saskatchewan.
He isn’t sure he’ll make the long trip, though because it costs a lot of money to go and he hasn’t got enough support yet to help pay for the costs.
“I’m kinda hoping I might get a couple more sponsors to go to the Canadians,” he said. “It’s a hefty bill.”^“If they [sponsors] can put up the money, I can put up the time,” he continued.
“I want everybody to see how dedicated I am.” He explained that he is very grateful for the support he has already received from his sponsors Heavysports.com, CKS Inflatables and the Fort Frances Fire Brigade.
He is putting a call out to the community for any other potential sponsors.
He’s also hoping to get a few of his fellow firefighters involved. “If I can get a few more guys, maybe we can do some fundraising,” noted Herbert.
“Like bake some biscuits or something,” he quipped.