‘It's effectively our Olympics': firefighters to represent Ireland at the World Police and Fire Games

Irish Times

25-06-2025

For firefighters competing in the World Police and Fire Games, winning the stair race is not a matter of simply climbing the stairs. Failure to assist a fellow competitor who is struggling can result in disqualification.
'You're emergency services first, competitor second', Mick Bracken, a firefighter and advanced paramedic with Dublin Airport Fire & Rescue Service, says. 'You will be passing by people that seem to be struggling and you'll ask them if they're okay, or do they need help. If you don't ask, or you don't stop, you're disqualified.'
Emergency service workers across Ireland have been preparing all year for the games, which take place this year from June 27th to July 6th in Birmingham, Alabama.
The competition began in 1985 in San Jose, California, and has since grown in both size and scope, with thousands of first responders travelling over the years to cities across Europe, Canada, Australia and China to compete for medals in more than 60 disciplines.
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DAA Firefighters and airport police staff (from left) Dave Brennan, BT Conway, Mick Bracken, Anne McMenamin and Mick Gurley. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
The games are open to both working and retired first responders, including police, firefighters, paramedics and lifeguards.
First responders compete in a range of categories, such as bodybuilding, karate, golf and boxing. More specific categories allow them to demonstrate the skills they've acquired throughout their careers, such as the firefighter stair race, which sees competitors racing up multiple flights of stairs wearing full uniform and heavy breathing apparatus.
As with the Olympics, competitors are invited to an opening ceremony to fly their national flag. They also stay in an athletes' village where they can avail of food, drink and night-time entertainment.
Eithne Scully, a firefighter and advanced paramedic at Dolphin's Barn fire station, has been described by fellow firefighters as a 'legend' of the games. She began competing in 2005, and has attended every iteration since 2011.
This year, she'll be competing in multiple track run competitions: the 800m, the 1500m and the 5k cross-country race.
She has already hauled 'around 50 medals' throughout the years, but is humble about her achievements. She says that because of the nature of her job, she doesn't 'really stop training'.
She says participating in the games is 'a very proud thing to do'. They were originally set up to promote camaraderie and wellbeing among first responders, and she has 'made a lot of friends' throughout her time competing.
Scully will also be joined by Bracken on a stair race team. Bracken, who is one of five members of Dublin Airport's fire and police services competing this year, notes there are two styles of stair race: one in sports gear, one in full firefighter uniform.
Scully and Bracken will both be timed in a race to climb 40 or more flights of stairs, depending on the building that is chosen for the competition, in their sports gear.
'LA was 65 flights of stairs, China was 75,' Bracken says.
Bracken will also compete in the additional firefighter stair race. He'll complete the stair climb he is doing with Scully, but this time with approximately 24kg of equipment strapped on – fire gear, a fire helmet and breathing apparatus.
His training normally involves climbing a stairmaster in the gym while wearing a weighted vest, but he once took a more unconventional approach to his preparations, climbing the stairs of Dublin Airport's air traffic control tower, which stands at 285ft.
Bracken has already won bronze and silver medals for his efforts in the China, Rotterdam, LA and Winnipeg games, and hopes to go for gold in Alabama.
Mick Gurley, an operations support officer who will be representing the airport's fire service in the rowing competition, says the games are 'effectively our Olympics'.
Members of the Dublin Airport Fire & Rescue service train constantly in preparation for emergency incidents at the airport, while dealing with medical issues across the airport's campus and providing assistance to Dublin Fire Brigade when required.
'Within our job, there's a lot of very fit people doing various things,' he says.
The airport fire service's rowing club has taken part in numerous charity events, and members of the fire service plan to run the Dublin city marathon in October in full fire gear.
Gurley has already won two gold medals for rowing in the games, one in China in 2019 and another in Canada in 2023.
Mr Bracken and Mr Gurley will be joined by colleagues BT Conway, an advanced paramedic and firefighter competing in jiu jitsu, firefighter Dave Brennan, who will compete in powerlifting, and airport police officer Anne McMenamin, competing in swimming.