Fireman heads for the top

By Rebecca Fraser
NARRE Warren fire fighter Adrian Jones has climbed his way to success.
The 28-year-old volunteer with the Narre Warren CFA was recently named the Victorian one-man ladder champion at the annual State Urban Fire Brigade Championships in Stawell.
The ladder race saw Mr Jones complete a 40 metre run on the ground and then a high-speed climb up a 20-foot ladder within six and a half seconds.
Mr Jones has been competing with the Noble Park CFA running team since the age of 11 and said he greatly enjoyed the mateship and team work involved in competing.
At last year’s State Championships Mr Jones broke his ankle and said he was glad that he had been able to bounce back and take the title.
“I was ecstatic when I won,” he said.
More than 85 brigades competed in the annual event and Mr Jones was named State Champion in 2002 and 2004.
Mr Jones competes in at least 10 events a year and trains twice a week with the Noble Park brigade.
The delivery driver said both the Narre Warren and Noble Park brigades had become a second family to him, and his wife Shey, who is expecting their first child, was equally excited by the win.
Mr Jones became involved with the CFA after walking past an open day with his grandmother and being enticed to join in.
He recently began working out with a personal trainer and said he usually does about 20 to 30 ladder runs during training sessions as well as sprint and hose work.
“It is extremely important to stay fit when you are fighting fires,” he said.
Mr Jones attends about six calls a week with the Narre Warren CFA and said these ranged from car accidents, to grass or shed fires and false alarms.
He said he would love to become a full time career fire fighter, but he could not be accepted due to his diabetes.
“I really enjoy helping to protect the community and I have made many great friends since joining.
“I also love the competitive side,” he said.
Anyone interested in joining the Noble Park CFA running team can contact Mr Jones on 0414 983 823.