The Oulu district of Nivala in northern Ostrobothnia will be one of the safest places in Finland Saturday. That’s because dozens of fire and rescue teams from across Finland will be competing in the 62nd annual Finnish Fire and Rescue Championship event.
“The Finnish Fire Officers’ Association asked us to organize this year’s competition and we seized the opportunity. We began preparations one year ago,” said competition project chief Sami Hiltunen of the Jokilaakso fire and rescue services department.
Northern teams missing in action
The competition itself is grounded in Finnish fire and rescue services’ long tradition of sporting and competitive events, according to the association.
“It’s an extremely significant national event and this year we have around 30 teams competing,” Hiltunen added.
However the only northern team signed up this year comes from Oulu, Hiltunen noted.
“It raises the question of where the others are. Is it that the competition isn’t interesting, or that it’s too difficult? Hopefully we’ll see more teams from the north in the future,” he added.
This year’s competition is built around the theme of fire and rescue operations in a rural and agricultural setting. Participants will be expected to display their skills and knowledge in this specialist area.
The firefight began Saturday morning and will continue throughout the day, with observers getting a chance to feast their eyes on shiny firefighting gear in the city centre.
Kids can get their hands dirty too, as officers will provide a starter course in putting out fires, along with traditional activities such as a bouncy castle and activity course.