Pincher Creek firefighters get hosed

PCES Chief Dave Cox and firefighter/EMR Dan Camborg
J. Jorgensen photos and video

Justine Jorgensen

On the afternoon of Friday, July 11, Pincher Creek Emergency Services (PCES) Chief Dave Cox and firefighter/EMR Dan Camborg were hosed down by PCES Deputy Chief Patrick Neumann.

It's called the Cold Water Challenge. As Neumann explained, "It's basically firefighters nominate other firefighters to get soaked down by water from a firetruck." The challenge that has been making its way around Facebook is being used by the PCES as a fundraiser; if someone is nominated, they pay 25 dollars, get sprayed with a hose, and then nominate a couple others.

Deputy Chief Patrick Neumann

These events tend to be very spontaneous. "I was the only guy that was going to do it last night and by the time we were done, there were four or five of us out there," Neumann said. "Once I'm nominated, what I do is I pick two or three or four different people that I think, 'Oh cool I'm gonna get these guys soaked too' and so it's kind of payback. You'll pick them from different departments because it's a fairly small, close-knit group of people."

PCES Chief Dave Cox

"I know it was kind of the way for some of the firefighters to give back to the community, and it's also kind of a fun thing for them," Neumann continued. "It started out raising money for things like the fallen firefighters organizations and other different things that people see as a need, or as firefighters see as a need, maybe in their community or as a greater whole." He mentioned that, of the group from PCES who have been participating, many have done it for KidSport in Pincher Creek. "[They] just felt that there's a need and it's a good organization."

Apparently this Cold Water movement is North America-wide, with participation from northern Alberta to as far south as Texas and Iowa.

Who's next?