WSFD wins statewide rescue competition
CPFflAL TO THE CHRONIC1 M
The Winston-Salem Fire Department heavy rescue company took first place in
the Six-Man Technical Rescue Competition during the annual N.C. Association of
Rescue and EMS Convention, held Aug, 27-29 in Hickory. It was the first year the
Fire Department entered the competition.
The Fire Department also won the Chad M. Smith Memorial Spirit Award for
the best teamwork, dedication and sportsmanship; and placed third, fourth and
fifth in the two-man rescue competition, said Capt. Marcus Draughn of the rescue
company.
"The six-man competition is as close to real call as you can get," Draughn
said. "Five minutes before you start, they show you the equipment you have avail
able and give you the scenario, so it's like the five minutes of travel you would
have out to a call.
"We had two victims in a confined-space, structural-collapse situation. Our
six-person team had to get everyone and our equipment into a 36-inch pipe and
come out with our victims," Draughn said. "The pipe was 250 feet long and
angled up and down. One victim was 100 feet into the pipe and the other was at
the end with 1300 pounds of concrete on his legs. We had to free the guy with the
tools we had, stabilized his injures and get everyone and all our equipment back
out within 20 minutes.
"Out of the 12 teams that competed we were the only ones to complete the
course in time. We did it in 12 minutes and 34 seconds."
The two-man competition involved rigging ropes to lift a Stokes (stretcher)
basket in a horizontal position to the ceiling of the convention hall, and only six
points separated the first three teams, Draughn said. "But the award I'm happiest
about is the spirit award, which says a lot about our sportsmanship and how we
worked among ourselves."
Assistant Fire Chief Tad Byrum said, "We are extremely proud of what our
personnel accomplished at the rescue competition. This competition requires both tech
nical rescue skills and physical fitness. The citizens of Winston-Salem should feel safe
knowing that these highly trained and skilled personnel are on duty 24/7 to respond to
real world events."
The six members of the team were Draughn, Engineer Justin Grubbs and Firefighters
Travis Franklin, Christopher Kiestler, Mark Podlaski and James Brinkley. They are all
assigned to Rescue One, located at Fire Station No. 7 on Arbor Road.
Submitted Photo
Winston-Salem firefighters Travis Franklin, right, and Christopher Kiestler, talk during
the Six-Man Technical Rescue Competition.
Forsyth Blind Bowlers bring home honors in national competition
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The Forsyth Blind Bowlers are getting noticed on the
national level.
The group had 19 members compete in the National
American Blind Bowling Association Tournament in
Rolling Meadows, Illinois.
More than 400 bowlers from across the United States
competed with the Forsyth Blind Bowlers. Thirteen mem
bers placed in Team, Single and Double events.
In the Team event, the Heavenly Angels team of
Howard Patterson, Tonya Patterson, Erica Stewart and
Tami Wilson took first place; the Strike Force team of
Shaun Cabell, Clayton Sanders, Whatina Sanders and
Tanya Wilson took sixth place; and the Rolling Stones team
of Renee Brown, Leonard Ellis and Sandy Gaddy took
eighth place.
In the Singles event, four members placed in the top 15
- Shaun Cabell, fifth place; Howard Patterson, sixth place;
Art Saunders, eighth place; and Calvin Linster, 13th place.
In the Doubles event, the husband-wife duo of Howard
and Tonya Patterson placed seventh.
The Forsyth Blind Bowlers includes many employees
from Winston-Salem Industries for the Blind, whose sup
porting foundation, A Brighter Path Foundation, was instru
mental in helping the team apply for a grant from the
Challenged Athletes Foundation to help with expenses.
Submitted Photo
Members of the
Forsyth Blind
Bowlers celebrate
their performance
at the National
American Blind
Bowling
Tournament.
Front Row:
Whatina Sanders,
Erica Stewart,
Tanya Wilson and
Tonya Patterson.
Second Row:
Clayton Sanders,
Renee Brown and
Howard Patterson.
Back Row: Tami
Wilson, Leonard
Ellis, Shaun
Cabell, Calvin
Linster, and Art
Saunders.
Inaugural
Christian Music Festival
BB&T Ballpark //
Winston-Salem, NC
Septembei^26-27
FEATURED ARTISTS
c
Two days of Christian music's leading performers
co-headlined by Kirk Franklin and MercyMe on
September 26 and Jeremy Camp on September 27.
The festival also will include a diverse range of other
musical performers, speakers and local church groups.
Tickets range from $25 to $75 per day.
Group discounts available.