Tadcaster fire fighter to run 5k in full kit - whilst dragging a drill dummy
Will Jones wants to raise cash and awareness for The Fire Fighters charity.
A fire fighter based in Tadcaster is hoping to raise money for The Fire Fighters charity - by running 5k in a full kit whilst dragging a drill dummy.
Will Jones is taking to the task to help raise awareness of mental health among fellow staff members.
He told us:
"I think over the last year everybody has suffered in a lot of ways. People's mental health has been brought to the fore by isolation, and in a lot of ways we as fire fighters have been quite lucky because we've still been able to come to work and see friends and colleagues.
"Covid possibly hasn't hit us as hard as everyone else, but it shows why The Fire Fighters charity is so important. When we're at work we see things and do things that aren't necessarily very easy to deal with, and that support is really important from the mental health side.
"Just to have somebody to talk to, understand and help process things. The issues that you deal with as a fire fighter are a lot different to the issues that members of the general public deal with - and need that support for.
"Mental health is a small piece of what The Fire Fighters charity do, but in a time where mental health is a hot topic it is a really important part of what they do".
Will is aiming to raise an initial £500, and when he joined the Fire Service last year he set himself the target of doing a charity event for The Fire Fighters Charity every year of his career. Last year he did a full fire kit and BA half marathon.
Now his attention is turning to today's 5k challenge:
"It's definitely going to be a real challenge. BA and fire kit is reasonably heavy on its own, but then the dummy is another 50kg with the weight I'm having to move with.
"The training has made me realise that this will batter my muscles! The dummy won't be attached - it's going to be dragged. It's to replicate a real-life scenario where you might have to rescue someone from an emergency scenario.
"In real life we obviously wouldn't have to drag anyone 5k! But it is going to be a brutal challenge - that's a fair analysis".
You can find out more about Will's story and his fundraising here.