Rules &
Penalties

REGISTRATION
All competitors MUST attend registration at 8am on the day of their race WITH FIRE KIT ready to race at 9am. Fire Service Identification Cards must be presented to registration to confirm attendance. Failure to attend registration prior to the first race starting may result in disqualification.

A maximum of 350 Firefighters can register for each competition which accounts for cancellations and no shows. Participants must be Operational Firefighters, with a valid annual fitness test in their service, who have a minimum competency “Safe to ride” and over the age of 18 years. Retired Firefighters are welcome to participate, they will be asked to provide evidence that they meet the minimum UK Fire Service standard of 42.3 VO2 (ml/O2/min) within the calendar year of their registration. To ensure registration is fair and available for all persons around the UK, the host Fire & Rescue Service will be capped at 40 registrations.

PAYMENT
The British Firefighter Challenge entry fees cover administration costs, refunds therefore will only be considered up to 7 days after registration. In extreme circumstances, entries may be carried over to the following year. Thank you for your understanding.

RUNNING ORDER
British Firefighter Challenge (herinafter BFC) reserves the right to revise the order in which competition categories run the course. Competitors will be assigned a number which does not necessarily follow the race order, it is therefore the responsibility of the competitor to ensure they are aware of their race time allocation. The next-up competitor must be in the staging area in full turnout gear when the preceding participants are at the start line. Individuals not ready for their allocated starting time will be disqualified.

GENDER
The British Firefighter Challenge has created an open category. Transgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals and those whose sex was assigned male at birth will be eligible to compete in the ‘Open’ category. The ‘Female’ category will remain in place for those whose sex was assigned female at birth and transgender men who are yet to begin hormone therapy. At this stage, they will be eligible to compete in the ‘Open’ category only. Those whose sex was assigned female at birth are also able to compete in the ‘Open’ category if they so wish. As with every category, there must be a minimum of 5 persons competing in that category to be deemed eligible for medal in the gold silver and bronze placed positions. 

EQUIPMENT
A breathing apparatus set for use during the competition will be provided for and must be worn by all Firefighters. Any wilful or malicious destruction of event equipment will result in disqualification from the competition.

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT / TURNOUT GEAR
All competitors must compete in their own protective equipment. PPE (i.e., turnout gear – helmet, jacket, trousers, and boots) must be serviceable (i.e., without holes and clean), approved for national standard and consistent with NFPA / CE standards in effect at the time of manufacture. Fire hoods, face shields and earflaps are not required. Articles of turnout gear, SCBA, and all other equipment/worn apparel (including eyewear, radios, etc.) must not be removed or lost during the competition. If dropped, they must be retrieved and correctly replaced by the competitor before continuing. Non-retrieval results in disqualification.

Competitors found to be non-compliant either during or after a competition will be disqualified and their time nullified.

Questions about the suitability and compliance should be directed the Course Marshal prior to racing. Duct tape or other visible modifications are not permitted. Coats and jackets must be properly sized and cover the area of intended protection. Collars must be showing (not tucked in). Structural boots must have a steel sole/shank and toe (i.e., meet NFPA / CE protection requirements). Helmet decorations are allowed, however helmets must have an NFPA-compliant label with the original suspension and padding present.

Officials may inspect all gear prior to participation. Their decisions are final. Any competitor who reports to the Staging Area and is found to be in violation of these rules will be subject to a time penalty or disqualification depending upon the severity of the infraction.

All competitors must be wearing clean Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Any contaminated PPE used at the event may result in disqualification.

TASK COMPLETION
All competitors are personally responsible for the completion of each task. No course volunteer has the authority to instruct a competitor in the negotiation of the events on the course; only the Course Marshal can intervene or direct the actions of a competitor. In those rare situations where the event staff, or the opposing competitor may have created an impediment, the options to rectify this situation may include a deduction in time to remedy the hindrance or allow another run of the course. All competitors must have completed the course in six minutes or be disqualified where they are, no matter how close to the finish line. 

DISPUTES
The competitor and the Course Marshal will resolve all disputes regarding penalties. We do not review video footage under any circumstances, etc. All Course Marshal decisions are final. Protests must be filed immediately with the Course Marshal, before the next race, prior to leaving the course.

BRITISH FIREFIGHTER CHALLENGE PENALTIES SUMMARISED
Failure to keep one hand on the external hand rail on the stairs: 2 seconds for each infraction
Donut roll placement (not in or on the box): 2 seconds
Skipped step (Crofton tower descent): 2 seconds
Force Machine foul: 5 seconds per miss-strike
Failure to finish forcible entry: 2 seconds per inch or fraction thereof
Hammer placement (not touching mat): 2 seconds
Failing to connect hose to the pump or hose becoming disconnected prior to completing the hose drag: 10 seconds
Failure to place the hose branch over the designated line: 10 seconds
Failing to place the hose completely in the box provided: 5 seconds
Sliding the foam barrels: 2 seconds per barrel
Failure to place foam barrels in the designated areas: 2 seconds per barrel
Failure to keep the feet of the mannequin on the casualty drag in contact with the ground: 10 seconds per occurrence 
Out of lane: 5 seconds per occurrence
Unauthorised personnel on course: 10 seconds per occurrence
False start: 5 Seconds
Failure to stop clock: 10 seconds

BRITISH FIREFIGHTER CHALLENGE DISQUALIFICATION INFRINGEMENTS
Failure to show
Altered turnout gear
Skipped event
Disrupting the competition
Unsportsmanlike behaviour (i.e., throwing gear)
Interference on the course
Unauthorised personnel on the course
Failure to retrieve dropped equipment/apparel

RELAY TEAMS
Teams of 4 persons complete the course in relay as explained by course officials. 
Person 1 – Stair ascent, haul aloft, stair descent.
Person 2 – forcible entry machine, hose drag. Person 3 – hose make up, equipment carry. Person 4 – casualty drag. 

An Open Male/Female Relay Team consists of any 4 Male/Female Firefighters from any UK or overseas Fire and Rescue Service (FRS). A British Male/Female Relay Team consists of any 4 Male/Female Firefighters from a single FRS.
An Open Mixed Relay Team consists of at least 1 Male and 1 Female Firefighter within their 4
(ie. 1 Female and 3 Male Firefighters).
Any single Firefighter cannot compete in more than one relay team. 

Relay team members do not need to compete in their individual categories, this includes but is not limited to retired members and senior officers whom are only competing in the relay event.

Each relay team will complete a qualification run. The fastest 16 teams will progress to the finals, which is a knockout format. In the event that two teams in the same category are eliminated in the same round, their fastest time will be considered for the purpose of awards. 

USE AND DISTRIBUTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS
All competitors, volunteers and spectators agree to allow the BFC and sponsors the use of all photos taken for promotional purposes.