Central District

Firefighters of Central Pennsylvania

Pumping Contest

 

Pumping Contest Rules

 

  1. Apparatus used in contest shall be shall be a piece of "fire fighting apparatus" which can respond and operate at fires with generally recognized standard equipment.

 

  1. Five hundred (500) feet of 2 ½ inch hose or larger (at least) on truck tested for 300 lbs. pressure and certified by the chief with no less than 250 feet of 2 ½ inch hose to be used during contest. Break coupling can be on top of hose bed or can hang down but cannot touch the tailboard or be secured by any means.

 

  1. One (1) ten foot section of standard hard suction hose is to be used for drafting.

 

  1. Hard suction hose must be in hose tray (clamps optional) or an option for hard suction will be to have hose lying on the ground behind the drafting tank in hose box.

 

  1. Truck must be started in cab.

 

  1. Must have driver to operate truck and pump.

 

  1. Side hook-up and side discharge only (either side).

 

  1. Speed type couplings not permitted.

 

  1. One (1) trophy per company regardless of how many teams a company enters. Minimum of first – fourth place trophies will be awarded.

 

  1. Each team is to use its own company truck and the company plus all team members must be a member of Central District.

 

  1. Complete new team of personnel must be used, including driver, when any one company enters more than one team in the contest. Fire companies must enter teams at the Captains meeting. Each team shall consist of six (6) to eight (8) personnel. Minimum age of personnel must be 16 years old as per rule # 12

 

  1. Jr. Firefighters ages 16 to 18 years old may compete in the contest provided the Company Chief Officer submits a signed roster of “Jr.” team members. The roster must include a copy of Fundamentals of Firefighting Certificate for each “Jr.” competing in the event and submitted at the Captain’s Meeting..

 

  1. All team members, except driver, will be in their starting positions when the truck is being positioned. No one will help the driver position the truck. The driver will bring the truck to the tank and stop; only one stop. Penalty will be ten (10) seconds as long as the parking brake has not been set. Penalty for releasing the brake and repositioning the truck at the tank will be disqualification. Driver will place transmission in neutral position and put the parking brake on and put wheel chocks under the wheels.

 

  1. Contest will be a hand lay of 150 feet of 2 ½ inch hose (or larger) with a nozzle already connected and laid flat in the center of the tailboard, only 1 grab loop may hang down.

 

  1. Break-person will be held in box until at least one (1) nozzle person is down in the nozzle zone on top of the hose. A ten (10) second penalty will be assessed if break-person leaves the box too early. A flagrant penalty will mean a disqualification. If nozzle extends past the nozzle zone when water is discharged a five (5) second penalty will be assessed. During the contest no other team member may assist the break-person.

 

  1. All team members, except the driver, are required to wear NFPA approved full turnout gear, bunker coat and bunker pants, boots and helmet, gloves are optional. All gear will be inspected prior to each contest.

 

  1. Hosting Fire Company shall have a minimum of two back-up personnel on the hose behind the nozzle person before discharging of water.

 

  1. Target will be on top of a sixteen (16) gallon beer keg or barrel. Time will stop when pin is knocked off the barrel. There will be a ten (10) second penalty for knocking the barrel out of the circle.

 

  1. A five (5) second penalty will be assessed for each full turn on the discharge coupling.

 

  1. A two (2) second penalty will be assessed for any item dropped and not picked up by a member of that team, before time is called.

 

  1. Any team, accidentally or intentionally, losing control beyond 15 ft either side of the target will be disqualified.

 

  1. Any deliberate infraction of the rules will result in disqualification.

 

  1. Uniformed Fire Police are to be used to maintain safety zones for spectator safety. (minimum 4 but 6 preferred if available)

 

  1. Host Company will provide back up and safety personnel.

 

  1. Timers will be responsible persons from the Central District.

 

  1. Host Company may change rules, but must be approved by the Central District at the Spring Board of Control Meeting.

 

  1. DECISION OF JUDGES IS FINAL.

 

  1. Host Company may change to a dry run competition if drought conditions exist in the Host Company area.

 

  1. Contest Field:

      

Revised May, 2008

Battle of the Barrel

 

BATTLE OF THE BARREL RULES

 

1.                  Each Company will be limited to two (2) teams.

 

2.                  Fire Companies and team members must be members of the Central District and must have one (1) Captain, for each team, at the Captain’s Meeting.

 

3.                  1st and 2nd periods will be two (2) minutes in duration or end with a goal being scored, if no goal is scored footage will be measured. If tied at the end of 2 periods refer to rule 14. This rule will be in effect until 8 teams remain, then contest then advances to rule 4.

 

4.                  Time will consist of two (2) - three (3) minute periods, one for each side; the clock will continue to run when a goal is scored.

 

5.                  Each team must have a different nozzle person for each period. Once a nozzle person starts a period he/she must finish that period unless injured, in which case one of the other original team members will take over for him/her. Only the nozzle person will control the nozzle. Penalty will result in a disqualification.

 

6.                  Firefighter helmet and securely fastening footwear of some type are mandatory, any other gear is optional.

 

7.                  Teams will consist of four (4) people which will maintain contact with the hose at all times when the lines are charged. A Captain, fifth person, will be optional and will not contact the hose. Penalty for not maintaining contact with the hose will be twenty five (25) feet assessed at the end of the period. The minimum age for team members is 16 years of age, as per rule # 8.

 

8.                  Jr. Firefighters ages 16 to 18 years old may compete in the contest provided the Company Chief Officer submits a signed roster of “Jr.” team members. The roster must include a copy of Fundamentals of Firefighting Certificate for each “Jr.” competing in the event and submitted at the Captain’s Meeting.

 

9.                  Any one person may not compete on more than one team.

 

10.              Scoring will be done in feet.

 

11.              Flip of the coin will determine the goal from which each team will start.

 

12.              Once in position, the first whistle will be for water, the second whistle will be the signal to begin the battle.

 

13.              In the event the battle has to be stopped, the teams will be positioned where the battle was stopped and will cross streams over the barrel with the first whistle and continue the with the second whistle.

 

14.              In the case of a tie, teams will meet in the middle of the middle of the street and a coin toss will determine which side each team will start from. Each team will have one minute from each side, again with two different nozzle persons and the score will be kept in feet.

 

15.              Any intentional lowering of the hose or squirting of the spectators will be an automatic disqualification.

 

16.              One hundred fifty feet of 2 ½ inch hose from engine to the middle of the setup, a gated Y with 100 feet of 1½ inch hose on each side with straight tip shut off nozzles. (Nozzles will be supplied by the Central District.)

 

17.              Host Company is to use Central District setup for Battle of the Barrel Competition. Host Company must keep setup in the same condition and maintained as received, while in their care.

 

18.              From the center of the cable to the goal will be 75 feet. Cable height will be from 10 to 112 feet from the street, with a 16 gallon aluminum beer keg for a target.

 

19.              One hundred twenty (120) P. S. I. Will be maintained at the engine.

 

20.              Only one trophy per company.

 

21.              Any misuse or misconduct of contest equipment means an automatic disqualification.

 

22.              Trophies will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place.

 

23.              Judges decision will be final.

 

24.              Matched set of 1 ½ inch straight tip nozzles owned by the Central District Volunteer Firemen’s Association will remain in the custody of the Chairman of the Efficiency Contest Rules Committee, who will be responsible for seeing that the nozzles are available for the contest.

 

25.              Host Company may change rules, but must be approved by the Central District at the Spring Board of Control Meeting.

 

26.              Host Company may cancel competition if drought conditions exist.

 

Revised May, 2008

William F Lower Memorial Award

    William F Lower was a member of the Alpha Fire Company in State College. He joined the Alpha Fire Company in 1954 and was Fire Chief from 1966 to 1972. In 1982, he became Fire Police Captain and held that rank till his death. He was also a Pennsylvania State Fire Instructor from 1969 through 1984. During this time he earned the nickname "Pap" from his many students.

    Bill became a member of the Central District Fireman's Association in 1965. He was the first chairman of the Association's pumping contest rules committee, formed in 1968, and served more than 20 years in that position. He was instrumental in developing the rules governing the Association's annual Pumping Contest and Battle of the Barrel Contest. Under his guidance, the pumping contest rules committee became the Efficiency Committee.

    He was posthumously awarded the Leroy C Focht Sr Memorial Award for his outstanding individual service to the Central District Volunteer Fireman's Association at the 2002 annual convention.

William F Lower  Memorial Award Guidlines

1. Winner will be decided based on a point system, which will be determined by combining the total points awarded in the Battle of the Barrel and the Pumping Contest.

2. Teams must compete in both Contests to be eligible for the award.

3. Points will be awarded to the teams placing in the Top 5 in both contests.

4. Battle of the Barrel - 1st - 16 pts, 2nd - 14 pts, 3rd - 12 pts, 4th - 10 pts, 5th - 8 pts

    Pumping Contest - 1st - 25 pts, 2nd - 20 pts, 3rd - 15 pts, 4th - 10 pts, 5th - 5 pts

5. Team with the most points will be awarded the revolving trophy, which must be returned to the Host Company at the start of the next year's Convention.

6. Winning team must be a member of the Central District at the time of the annual Convention.

7. Participating departments who win the Lower Award three years in a row are not eligible in the following year. The Association will provide a special award to the department winning the revolving award three years in a row.

8. If the Host Company, under the approval of the Efficiency Committee, elects to substitute or change the format of any of the Contests, for example, during drought conditions, they must apply the points for the contest substituted.

9. The Chariman of the Efficiency Committee or his/her designee NAD the Judge(s) of the contests will be responsible for the validation of the points awarded.

10. All decisions made by those mentioned in Guideline #9 are final.