Hallam Captain Michele Lovett
When it comes to the State Firefighting Championships you’d be hard pressed to find someone more devoted than Hallam Captain Michele Lovett.
Michele’s involvement in the champs stretches back to when she was 11 and competed in the Juniors. Fast forward 30 years and Michele remains involved to this day.
“My brother and sister were also part of Juniors and my dad has been involved in CFA for 55 years or something ridiculous! It’s always been in our family,” said Michele.
It’s not just the family aspect that Michele enjoys about champs but also the comradery and friendships that she’s made over the years.
“You go up there and you see people that you only see once a year but you know their name and they know you. Some of the people I’ve known since Juniors” she said.
While Michele has had to take some time off in recent years due to injury, she continues the championships tradition by helping to marshal the brigades off at the competitions.
“I make sure all the brigades are lined up in the order set out in the program. It’s like a roll call.”
Last year Michele competed in the trial of the female only event.
“It was a dry work event so there was no water. Each competitor needed to connect certain hoses together and you have to do it as fast as you can within certain rules,” she said.
“It can be quite a challenge particularly when everyone is watching you.”
Michele is quick to encourage anyone thinking of taking part in champs to give it a go.
“If you’re a competitive type of person, you can challenge yourself as much as you want either individually or as part of a team.”
For those who aren’t competitive, there’s plenty still to see and do at champs. The event also showcases a variety of aspects of CFA and provides teams with the opportunity to meet face to face.
“They’ve got all the different areas of CFA. Last year the Aviation and the Personal Protective Clothing (PPC) teams were up there,” she said.
“Pretty much all of us that were up there got fitted out with the new Wildfire PPC while we were there.
“It was a great opportunity to speak to people in person rather than always over the phone.”
The VFBV/CFA 2024 State Firefighter Championships will be held over the next two weekends at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve.
