Firefighters fight stairs
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Fighting against the stairs, Marissa Halbeisen, a 30th Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, rushes up a four-story flight of stairs during training July 29 here in preparation for the Firefighter Combat Challenge in October. This is the team’s first time competing in the championship competition. The challenge seeks to encourage firefighter fitness and demonstrate the profession's rigors to public. The competitors race head-to-head as they simulate the physical demands of real-life fire fighting by performing a linked series of five tasks, including climbing the five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-size, 175-pound "victim" as they race against their opponents and the clock. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Bryan Boyette)