KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Folks will have a chance to test their strength in an unusual way this weekend, and help out a local cause at the same time. Dan Canavan is the volunteer community director for Special Olympics here in Kodiak and said people can form eight-member teams to try and pull a fire truck.
“Actually it will be a nine-member team because one of the requirements is of course to recruit or have me help them find them an athlete to participate as one of the team members.”
The teams will need to raise at least $200, and that can be done through sponsors or pledges. The money will go toward Special Olympics, specifically helping with the Torch Run on May 17th.
Jason Waggoner is a volunteer at Bayside Fire Department and said fire truck won’t be full of water, but it should still pose a sizable challenge.
“The one we’re planning on pulling is Squad 10, which is our medical truck. It doesn’t have water in it, but even without water in it, it still weighs 40,000 pounds.”
Canavan said teams will be timed to see who can pull the truck 12 feet in the shortest amount of time.
“At the conclusion of that they get bragging rights for the year around Kodiak and we’re also going to award gold, silver and bronze medals.”
He said there aren’t any restrictions to signing up, and agencies, businesses, families or groups of friends are more than welcome to try their luck at pulling the truck.
Canavan said the event will also be informative, and hopefully help folks learn more about Special Olympics. He said he hopes to showcase some of the unified sports the organization participates in locally, and introduce community members to athletes and unified partners.
“If the weather will cooperate we’ll set up bocce and folks can come out and participate and try out their hand at bocce. Law enforcement is going to be doing some public safety awareness and have some of those kinds of things and the fire department form Bayside is going to be doing some fire awareness, fire safety and community awareness for that also.”
The fire truck pull will take place this Saturday at 10 a.m. in the Safeway parking lot.
