Beachfront road in Lake Worth Beach to close this week for huge firefighter competition
The challenge outside of the Lake Worth Beach Casino Building is part of an event taking place all week at Palm Beach State College's nearby campus. All competitions are free and open to the public.
The road in front of Lake Worth Beach's Casino Building will close for three days, making way for a competition between dozens of Florida firefighters.
The road closure starts at 8 a.m. Tuesday to allow for equipment setup, and the competition is scheduled throughout the day on Wednesday and Thursday. A city spokesperson said the road is expected to reopen before Friday morning.
That includes the stretch of road from the pool building to Benny's on the Beach Oceanwalk (not the pier location). The restaurant and its neighbors — including Kilwins, Mamma Mia's Pizzeria, and Lake Worth Beach Tee Shirt Co. — will remain open, and visitors can still reach the upper parking lot by using the south access ramp.
The two-day event outside of the Casino Building will feature a team competition that highlights the firefighters' rapid intervention skills. Each team will be graded and timed as they work to rescue one of their "downed" peers, according to the rulebook.
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"This competition is designed to go back to the basic skills of the individual firefighter, along with the basic tools needed to rescue one of our own," it reads.
The competition is part of a larger event called the Palm Beach State College Invitational. Hundreds of firefighters, police officers and paramedics from Florida and Canada will take part in the inaugural event.
From 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, the college campus at 4200 Congress Ave. will host several competitions throughout the week:
- The NAVRA National Rescue Challenge (vehicle extrication) on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- The Panther EMS Challenge on Friday.
- The Motorcycle Riding Challenge on Saturday.
"The competitions will simulate real-world emergency incidents and use mannequins as well as PBSC public safety students to portray victims," the college said in a news release.
The rapid intervention competition is the only one taking place off campus, by the Casino Building, and all of the challenges are free and open to the public.
Visit palmbeachstate.edu/PBSCInvitational for more information.
"Come out and cheer on your local heroes!" the college said. "There will be food, demos and sponsor merchandise booths for you to enjoy. South Florida can be hot in May so stay hydrated and bring your sunscreen."
Giuseppe Sabella is a reporter covering Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at gsabella@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.