The Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Virginia ran an article the other day about Newport News' championship female firefighter competition squad.
Wearing up to 50 pounds of firefighting gear, they carry a 42-pound hose up a five-story tower, hoist a similar hose up the tower and put out a simulated fire. They use a 9-pound mallet to drive a 160-pound steel beam horizontally for 5 feet to represent a forcible entry and drag a 175-pound mannequin, called "Rescue Randy," backward for 100 feet.
Last year, Women of Stihl completed the course in less than two minutes -- 1:56:02, to be exact. This year, teams nationwide will be hankering to beat that time, Carroll said.
"I always feel like there's not enough training," said Carroll, 35, who served in the Air Force for five years before joining the fire department. "And as we get closer to May, we're going to step it up."
Carroll said she sweats it out at the gym at least three days a week. She's 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 160 pounds. She said she bench-presses 185 pounds and squats 205 to give her a competitive edge.
