Firefighters show off their skills at a competition in Hanoi

The Hanoi Public Security Department hosted the qualifying round of the firefighting and rescue competition on June 23, attracting 36 teams from firefighting forces of districts across the city.

Firefighters show off their skills at a competition in Hanoi
Firefighters show off their skills at a competition in Hanoi

The teams competed in three categories, a 100-metre obstacle and rescue run, a 4x100 m relay involving rescue and firefighting operations, and operating a fire pump.

A firefighter leaps over a 2-metre hurdle in the obstacle run.

Fighters compete against each other in the scorching heat of over 40C in Hanoi.

A contestant sprints with an "injured" person on his back in a race.

Colonel Nguyen Minh Khuong, Deputy Director of the Police Department of Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue, said that the firefighting force has faced increased challenges at work with the establishment of many industrial parks and export processing zones over recent years.

This required firefighters to outdo themselves and better improve their professional skills.

An officer extinguishes a fire.

An entrant with a gas tank on the back crawls through a narrow “tunnel” in a stage of the race.

Each challenge is designed to represent the real life situations faced by the firefighters at work, thus helping them to hone their professional skills.

Physical performance and technical skills of firefighters are thoroughly tested at the competition.

Rescuing an “injured” man from a fire.

Teams deploying hoses during the competition.

Speed and accuracy are essential skills of firefighters.

Any minor mistake of a team member can affect the overall performance of the team.

Shooting water jets at two targets.

Team of the Thanh Xuan District’s firefighting force came first at the event, while the second and third prizes went to the teams from the districts of Thach That and Long Bien, respectively.

The final round of the competition will take place in Da Nang City this July.