At the sound of a siren, Dylan Clark started climbing.

Three stories, four stories, he clambered up the metal stairs of a spindly tower, fire hose slung over his shoulder. Encumbered by heavy clothing, an oxygen tank strapped to his back, the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department firefighter was racing his opponent, and the clock.

It was Sunday afternoon - Day 2 of the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge at Silverwood Theme Park, where many of the top fire crews in the Northwest had come to do battle.

"This is my first year competing, but I always thought it was a cool thing," Clark had said earlier. "It's exhausting. One guy got sent off in an ambulance yesterday."

He reached the fifth-story platform, dropped his cargo, grabbed a long rope and hauled a second hose up the tower. Then he sprinted down the stairs, snatched a hammer and walloped a Keiser sled - an apparatus that simulates forcible entry.

His energy sapped, Clark passed a baton to Mandy Jacques, his Coeur d'Alene Fire Department teammate. The fit, athletic firefighter was also experiencing her first Combat Challenge.

"It's super exciting," Jacques said. "Everything's heavy - but it's what we train to do."

She ran around a series of obstacles called "delineators," veering like a slalom skier. Grabbing the end of a heavy hose, she retraced her steps and fired a stream of water at a small target.

Finally, Jacques picked up a 175-pound dummy and hauled it 100 feet to the finish line.

"It's a lot of weight to drag 100 feet," Clark noted.

The Coeur d'Alene co-ed team finished the six-stage course in 2 minutes, 25 seconds - good enough for third place.

Other contests were full-team relays, or - the toughest of all - a one-on-one race between two individual firefighters.

The course was a back-breaker, but nearly 100 firefighters from North Idaho, Spokane Valley, Missoula, Seattle, Kamloops, British Columbia, and elsewhere tackled every obstacle this weekend.

They even seemed to enjoy it.

"We have a lot of fun," said firefighter Kevin Lawler of Kootenai County Fire & Rescue. "Great camaraderie. This is our first event like this. For us, it's just a fun event."

Competition, though, was plenty fierce. Winning teams received a plaque for the firehouse wall, and the top finishers earned a berth in the Scott world championships on Nov. 8-11.

That contest will be held in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and will draw firefighters from all over the globe.

Kamloops firefighters fared well on both days, with first place finishes in most of the open, relay and tandem events.

The course was erected in an open field just north of Silverwood. Clark had approached the theme park with the idea of hosting a Scott Challenge, and Silverwood made it happen.

As they hauled hoses, dragged dummies and swing hammers, the firefighters had the opportunity "To show the public we take pride in being in shape, and doing our job well," Clark said.

Coeur d'Alene firefighter Gabe Mills teamed up with Capt. Luke Pichette on Sunday. The pair posted a solid time, a testament to their firefighting skills.

"It's really cool to see al the guys from around the country come and do this," Mills said, still wearing his fireproof clothes and sweating from the effort. "The competition itself is just tough. Some of these guys are animals... they go so fast."