A 21-year-old man from Lewin Street was crowned as the fastest firefighter in Cheshire at the weekend.

Simon Calvert competed in the Cheshire Firefighter Challenge which was an obstacle course with eight different challenges including climbing three storeys of stairs, running with a hose line and rescuing a casualty.

Simon said: “It’s really difficult, if you miss one step on the stair ascent then you are automatically penalised by five seconds on your finishing time and that was the same with the other obstacles as well.

“I really did not expect to be the fastest in Cheshire with how many people took part.

“I finished third or fifth overall but my time of four minutes and one second was the fastest in the county which I was really happy and surprised about.”

Simon did not do any specific training for the challenge but his exploits for charity this year ensured that he was more than prepared.

He and five other firefighters took part in the Manchester Half Marathon whist wearing their full firefighter uniform and breathing apparatus, which weighed about 20kg, to raise money for the Firefighter Charity and Mind.

They ended up raising double their initial target with each charity receiving over £1,000.

Simon said: “I’ve ran in the Manchester Marathon and half marathon with Ashley Powell and the other five lads and since then I have been keeping on top of my fitness which definitely helped me in this challenge even though I didn’t do any specific training for it.”

There was plenty to keep visitors entertained as well as demonstrating the type of work required of those in the emergency services.

Simon said: “It was a great day out and there were a lot of activities for everyone including dunk the firefighter where if you hit the target whoever was sat in the seat was dropped into a pool of water. That was really popular.

“There was also a simulator there for people to see what a kitchen fire is like, everyone there seemed to have a good time.”

The Cheshire Firefighter Challenge was taken on by 50 members of staff from fire crews across the country on Saturday, June 1 in the Warrington Campus of University of Chester.