AMANDA DOLASINSKI
The York Dispatch

In just two minutes and eight seconds, York City firefighter Mike Anderson became a world champion.


Anderson, 55, along with his teammates, competed in the World Firefighter Combat Challenge in South Carolina last week.

He had the fastest time in his 55 and older division, making him a world champion firefighter.

Wearing nearly 90 pounds of gear, including a breathing apparatus, firefighters race by completing five tasks: climbing a five-story tower, hoisting equipment, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a 175-pound mannequin.

The competitors are ranked by time.

"Everyone was cheering, then everything got quiet and I'm thinking, 'What happened?'" he said. "I couldn't

see my time. Then they announced I was the new world champion."

Top honors: Anderson had competed, even won, the competition before, but with a partner. This year, he entered the individual category and earned top honors for his age group.

"I never thought where I'd end up," Anderson said. "To take that all in, I don't have words for it. It's indescribable."

Anderson competed in the world competition with a partner in 2007, but tripped running up stairs. The fall cost the pair time and ultimately put them in second place.

Anderson said he was heartbroken and stepped up his training for the following year. In 2008, he and his partner earned first place.

"That was a touching, emotional time," he said. "The year before, we should have, but we took second. I fell. We had the worlds in our hands, but I fell."

Training: In order to prepare for the competition, Anderson said, he was on a strict training schedule. He ran, lifted weights and even practiced running up parking garage stair flights 10 times in a row.

"If it was easy, I probably wouldn't do it," he said.

His wife, Kim, traveled to Myrtle Beach to support him, Anderson said. And he plans to continue competing in Firefighter Combat Challenges across the world.

Other York City Firefighters who competed include Scott Little, Lyle "Coz" Cosner and Aaron Eckert, all members of Team BFPE International.

The competition includes hundreds of U.S. and Canadian fire departments as well as departments in New Zealand, Germany, Argentina, Chile and South Africa, according to its website. It is an opportunity for firefighters to demonstrate the physical challenges of their jobs.

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November 15, 2010