IAFF Local 2067 Member News

Local 2067 Member News

NFD Bikers Camp & Ride at Bikes, Blues, and BBQ's

September 30, 2009 - IAFF members Brent Hopkins, Robert Darrow, and Tim McDermott take part in a 5-day excretion to the Arkansas-Missouri area for the annual Bikes, Blues and BBQ Rally. Check out their trip with some of their photo's here.

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NFD Bikers Return from Colorado

September 1, 2008 - A half dozen or so members of the Norman Fire Department recently returned from a week-long motorcycle tour of New Mexico and Colorado. Along for the ride was a Norman friend & neighbor who we also enjoyed having ride with us on the trip. A great deal of mileage was rode with little aim in direction. As a result, the trip proved both exciting and adventurous. The group plans to deem the "2nd Annual NFD Bike Tour" a distinct possibility; A great time was had by all!

The trip followed a route from Norman to Amarillo, TX followed by a bi-way route into New Mexico via Dalhart, TX into Clayton, NM. From there the group traveled to the Cimarron/Eagle Nest area where they camped for the first night. (The group ran into, totally by chance, three OKC firefighters on their own bike tour of Colorado. We said hello/goodbye quickly. However, it wouldn't be the only time paths would cross.)

The next day was spent touring the area around Eagle Nest, Ute Park, Angel Fire, Taos, and on into Santa Fe where they met-up with two additional NFD riders in Hyde Memorial Park for the second evening. (It should be noted that along the route that day, spotted were the OKC boys via a cross section of two highways.)

The third day found us attempting to remove ourselves from busy Santa Fe! Much construction hampered the way out of town. (Although, the finding of a "shower" that morning also managed to redirect the group's interest as well. After several days of not finding one, this was a welcomed diversion; so says everyone around them.)

In route the same day from Santa Fe, via #84 through Chama into Colorado, we ran into the same three OKC boys at a fuel stop. They invited the group to join them in route to Pagosa Springs, CO where we were led into a RV campground where they had made previous arrangement. The proved to be beneficial as both groups were invited to a FREE catfish dinner and breakfast the next morning by a group of senior campers at the park. A great time that evening was spent sipping on hot chocolate (yeah, right!) and sharing lie's!

We ran in and out of touch with those boys in Gunnison, Silverton, and along the Million Dollar Highway.

Several other stops at the Royal Gorge and the peak of the Continental Divide brought the group south of Pueblo for the final night. (View Photo Gallery...)

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Norman Firefighters Sweep Events in Altus Competition
(The Norman Transcript)

August 27, 2008 - The Team Norman Sonic Combat Challenge Team recently competed in the Southwest Regional in Altus, and swept all the events with the exception of Relay -- the only event in which TNS did not enter a team. "Needless to say we are all very proud of the Team Norman Sonic showing," said Norman Fire Capt. Greg Blackburn.

The Altus Fire Department hosted the Scott Firefighters Combat Challenge competition Aug. 15 and 16. Team Dr. Pepper, the host team from Altus, awarded Oklahoma State Championships -- with Oklahoma teams from Norman, Edmond, Tulsa, Sand Springs, McAlester, Lawton and Altus competing.

TNS members won the following Oklahoma State Championships:

• Open Individual: Don Balm;
• Over 40 Individual: Don Balm;
• Over 50 Individual: Greg Blackburn;
• Open Tandem: Jack Ingram -- Robert Carrick;
• Over 40 Tandem: Brent Porter -- Don Balm;
• Over 50 Tandem: Bob Callaghan -- Greg Blackburn.

TNS members placed in numerous events in the overall Southwest Regional competition, with teams from Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi and Boston vying for a slot in the national championships.

TNS results were:

• Over 40 Individual First Place: Don Balm;
• Over 50 Individual First Place: Greg Blackburn;
• Open Tandem Third Place: Jack Ingram -- Robert Carrick;
• Over 40 Tandem First Place: Brent Porter -- Don Balm;
• Over 40 Tandem Third Place: Kurt Holley -- Mike Shuffield;
• Over 50 Tandem First Place: Bob Callaghan -- Greg Blackburn.

Team Norman Sonic members have qualified for and will participate in the upcoming nationals in Atlanta, Ga., and the world championships in Las Vegas.

The Firefighter Combat Challenge attracts hundreds of firefighters each year from the U.S. and Canada. Regional competitions are held throughout the year, culminating with the world championships in November. The challenge seeks to encourage firefighter fitness and demonstrate the profession's rigors to the public. Wearing "full bunker gear" and breathing apparatus, competitors simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting by performing a linked series of five tasks including climbing the five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and dragging a life-sized, 175-pound dummy 100 feet to the finish line.

Blackburn said team members credit their sponsors, Norman area Sonic restaurants, Steve Owens and Associates, Gregg Byram and Roy Oliver, for enabling them to participate in the Firefighter Combat Challenge.

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Team Norman Sonic Posts Record
(The Norman Transcript)

June 27, 2008 - Retired Norman firefighter Bob Callaghan now has the fastest time in the U.S. this year in the Firefighters Combat Challenge Over 50 Individual category, followed by close friend and training companion Norman Fire Capt. Greg Blackburn. “He beat me by 41 hundredths of a second so I have the second fastest time so far this year,” Blackburn said.

Norman Team Sonic members Callaghan and Blackburn posted the record times (2:17 and 2:18) in the Carlsbad Firefighter Challenge June 7 in Carlsbad, N.M. “I ran first and he was cheering me on, then he was running and I was cheering him on,” Callaghan said. “At another event, he’ll probably take me. We’re right there with each other. We train together and compete together.”

Callaghan and Blackburn have been friends since junior high school, competing in sports at West Junior High School and Norman High School and later going to work for the Norman Fire Department. Callaghan said he retired from the Norman Fire Department two years ago, “but thanks to Sonic and our other sponsors, can still participate in these competitions as a retiree.”

In Carlsbad, Callaghan came in first and Blackburn second in the Over 50 individual competition. Team Norman Sonic members Don Balm (who works for EMSStat) finished in first place in the Over 40 competition and Brent Porter finished in third place.

In the tandem events, Callaghan and Blackburn finished in first place in the Over 50 category, and Balm and Porter finished in first place in the Over 40 category. “Needless to say, we posted some good times,” Callaghan said. “People are getting to know Team Norman Sonic. Collectively we all did really well.”

By running a sub-100 second race, Callaghan and Blackburn also earned membership in the Lion’s Den, which recognizes outstanding performance in the Firefighters Combat Challenge. Lion’s Den members will be recognized at the world championships in Las Vegas at season’s end.

The Carlsbad competition took place on the shores of the Pecos River, and team members also enjoyed a chili cook-off and car show taking place at the same time. “At 103 degrees, it was record heat, but we survived it,” Callaghan said.

The Firefighter Combat Challenge attracts hundreds of firefighters each year from the U.S. and Canada. Regional competitions are held through out the year, culminating with the world championships in November. The challenge seeks to encourage firefighter fitness and demonstrate the profession’s rigors to the public. Wearing “full bunker gear” and breathing apparatus, competitors simulate the physical demands of real-life firefighting by performing a linked series of five tasks including climbing the five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and dragging a life-sized, 175-pound dummy 100 feet to the finish line.

Next up will be the Combat Challenge competition in San Diego in June, with TNS members traveling up the coast by train to participate in San Francisco the very next week. Other venues TNS plans to participate in this year include Altus; Tyler, Texas; St. Louis, Mo.; Atlanta, Ga. for the nationals and Las Vegas for the world championships.

Team members credited their sponsors, Norman area Sonic restaurants, Steve Owens and Associates, Gregg Byram and Roy Oliver, for enabling the team to participate in the Firefighter Combat Challenge.

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Firefighter Combat Challenge Launches Season
(The Norman Transcript)

April 20, 2008 - With the Capitol and National Mall as a background, the Firefighter Combat Challenge launched its 2008 national season April 2 in Washington D.C., with Team Norman Sonic getting off to a winning start, organizers said.

Due to scheduling conflicts, Norman firefighters Greg Blackburn, Jack Ingram, Robert Carrick and Don Balm were the only members of Team Norman Sonic to participate in the event. “This was, next to the Fremont Experience venue in Las Vegas for the World Championships (last November), the coolest place the Challenge has ever been,” Ingram said. “The event was held on the National Mall directly in front of the U.S. Capitol Building. It was held in conjunction with the Congressional Fire District National Conference so all of D.C. was filled with firefighters from across the country and it was also the Cherry Blossom Festival, so D.C. was packed.”

Hosted by the Congressional Fire Services Institute and sponsored by the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA), the showcase displayed a vast assortment of technology firefighters use when responding to emergencies. The event was designed to educate Congress, the Administration and the general public about the many roles of our nation’s firefighters, organizers said.

Blackburn was back in winning form, winning the “Over 50” individual event with a time “good enough to qualify for the Lion’s Den — an award given to any competitor whose time meets a certain standard for the age group in which they are competing,” he said.

The other three team members did not place, but the Open Tandem Team of Ingram and Carrick placed seventh and their time was good enough to qualify them for the World Championships in November.

Since TNS member Brent Porter was unable to attend and compete in the Over 40 Tandem, Balm teamed with Jimmy Rogers, a firefighter from Altus, and they placed second in the event. Bob Callaghan also was unable to attend, so the TNS’ “Over 50 Tandem” team did not compete.

TNS is instituting some changes this year, Ingram said, as all team members will now be competing in the Individual competitions. These events are where one man runs the entire course by himself and must also breathe out of the air pack — which makes it even more difficult, he said. “In years past we were competing in the Relay and Tandem events,” Ingram said. “ln the Relay up to five guys run the course — which is a breeze compared to the Individual — until (if you are still in it) you get down to the final races where you would have to run two to three races “back to back” with no rest. In the Tandem it is a bit more difficult as two competitors run the course. In both the Tandem and Relay you do not have to breath from the bottle — only in the Individual.

The team decided this year it was “go time” — time to step up to the big test. “Definitely the hardest thing physically I have ever done,” Ingram said. “We will however continue to compete in the Tandem events as well as the Individuals this year.”

Next up will be the Combat Challenge competition in San Diego in June, with TNS members traveling up the coast by train to participate in San Francisco the very next week. Other venues TNS plans to participate in this year include Altus; Tyler, Texas; St. Louis; Atlanta for the nationals and Las Vegas for the World Championships.

Team members credited their sponsors, Norman area Sonic restaurants, Gregg Byram and Roy Oliver, for generously allowing the team to participate in the Firefighter Combat Challenge.

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IAFF members ARE the Norman Fire Department. It is in this that we hope to use this section to promote, advertise and relish in the accomplishments that we as members of the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Norman Fire Department wish to share with members and visitors.

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Firefighters Help Put Roof on Residence for Colleague
(http://www.newsok.com)

November 1, 2007 — It didn't take long for the Norman Fire Department to let Scott and Shema Jones know they are part of the family. At least 17 firefighters from three crews spent much of their off day earlier this week by putting a new roof on the Jones' home on Himes Street. (Photo Gallery...)

Jones, one of nine Norman firefighters hired this year, is one of about 2,600 Oklahoma Army National Guard soldiers from the 45th Infantry Brigade who began training this week in Texas for an upcoming deployment in Iraq. "It's overwhelming,” Shema Jones said after coming home from work Tuesday, fighting back tears. "It's wonderful. They are the nicest guys you will ever meet.”

The Jones family includes three daughters, ages 14, 7, and 19 months.

Scott Jones spent months tearing out an old room with mold and building a larger addition in its place. Most of the work was completed, except for the roof. The couple contacted roofing companies to get estimates for the job, and the best was $3,500. Meanwhile, Scott Jones was preparing for his military deployment. "We were concerned with where the money would come from,” Shema Jones said. "We actually prayed about it the night before (some firefighters) came over. We said we were getting estimates with a roofer, and they said, ‘No you're not, we're going to roof it for you.'”

The volunteers ranged from captains to rookie firefighters. The firefighters decided to buy shingles and put a new roof on the entire house and not just the new addition. "He had part of the roof covered with plastic,” said Butch Crawford, the Norman Fire Department's union president. "That won't last a whole year until he gets back, and his wife and daughters are still living here, so we're here to finish the roof.”

A voice cried out, "You've got to help a brother out!” Crawford said, "Firefighters are our brothers, and we support the military, too.”

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"Great Work" Cody

June 22, 2007 - Cody Cramer, son of Dana Cramer, was one (1) of five (5) Oklahoma students that received the 2007 Pete and Lela Stavros Scholarship.  This scholarship was established in 2002 to help children and relatives of members of the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association to attend college. The award is given to graduating high school seniors each year. Pete Stavros is the former OSFA Legislative Director and retired Oklahoma City firefighter.

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Past-Prime Firefighters Scale Depths of Grand Canyon

December, 2006 - Last month two nature challengers attempted the unthinkable for two 'over-50' year olds and scaled the traverse path down the walls of this 10 mile trek to the bottom of Grand Canyon in search of Phantom Ranch down below. As if that weren't enough of a challenge for the gals, the two women chained to them another two 'over-50' year olds for company; one retired & one present NFD Firefighter in Bob Callahan and Greg Blackburn respectively.

Sheila Blackburn, along with LaDonna Smith, commented to close friends later, "...those guys held us back ever so slightly...we're simply grateful they didn't wonder too far off looking for sticks or beer. Normally that would have added several miles to our hike. We had to keep an eye on both the trail and THEM at all times. But, we share the experience equally with them."

Congratulations to the four of you! (Rumor has it they'll be planning another such trip in 2007 during the Combat Challenge Event in Las Vegas, NV.) (Related Information...)