Local firefighter Matthew Coulthard performed outstandingly in the British Firefighter Challenge competition held recently at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Matt is part of the local Firefighter Combat Challenge team who have been competing on different stages throughout the globe recently. At this event in Leicester, Firefighters from UK and the rest of the world including Australia, Germany, USA, Austria, and France took part.

This race consisted of eight firefighter related tasks. Participants were put through the paces as they had to go up a tower via internal stairs. Once at the top, they had to haul a hose externally, make their way down the stairs again to the next station and move a hefty weight with a heavy hammer (Keiser force), drag a hose along a certain distance, roll the hose and carry it to a predetermined position, collect foam drums and then drag a 70kg dummy to the finish line.

The competition proved extremely tough, with firefighter Coulthard finishing first in the race, which earned him the Gold medal and the title of British Champion. He was also invited to join a team of firefighters from Humberside, UK, for the team relay, where again his contribution to the team earned them the silver medal, narrowly missing out on becoming overall champion.

Firefighter Coulthard achieved three medals in total, British Champion (Gold), Overall (Silver) and Team Relay (Silver).

The Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service has congratulated firefighter Matthew Coulthard for his fantastic effort and outstanding achievement at this international event. A spokesperson said: “Matt is a true ambassador for the GFRS and has no doubt put Gibraltar on the map once again.”

Pic: Matt Coulthard in the middle

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