Relive GrimpDay 2014: videos, photos, interviews, and results!

GrimpDay's ninth edition took place on Saturday, June 7, 2014, in Namur, Belgium. Over time, the city has become the world capital for this international challenge for search and rescue in hazardous environments. This year GrimpDay, organized by the Namur Fire Department, drew more than 250 participants from the four corners of the planet. Petzl is proud to be one of GrimpDay's founding and technical partners, with the help of Alpitec, its agent in the Benelux countries.

An international event

For the first time ever, teams from Asia (Taiwan and Hong Kong) made the trip. "It was great to see other teams and their way of doing things. We're lucky to be able to come from so far away to learn and then to return home to improve our methods," stated Blue Sky special rope task force (Hong Kong).

The Canadians from Vancouver came back for the second year in a row. The Brazilian team who "set the place on fire" last year, stayed home for the World Cup.

Interview: how did you prepare for the event?

Yves, on the Swiss team from Neuchatel.

"Prior to making the trip we reviewed various techniques, nothing special. We do not invent anything specific for GrimpDay. We review everyday techniques with the team going to the event. However, we do indeed prepare our gear based on what the event requires, which is slightly different than what we use every day in the field."

Seb, Grimp 95, France.

"We've been training for a few weeks to get close to what we saw the last few times we participated. The day was fantastic, and we're happy with our performance. Our training time paid off."

Jeroen, firefighter from Halle, Belgium.

"We go through very specific and intensive training for two months. We use techniques specific to GrimpDay. At our firehouse there are 15 of us, and every year a different group participates."

Competition and performance

Under clear blue sunny skies and the early-summer heat, 35 teams participated in six events, with each event more technical than the one before it. Most took place in the center of town for the public to enjoy and discover the highly-technical nature of this profession.

As Seb from team Grimp 95 (France) indicated, "The events came very close to what we do on a daily basis in terms of climbing and rope-related rescues."

Every event was accessible on foot. One event, however, was only open to competitors, taking place high up in the rafters of the theater in order to thrust participants into the dark.

The spirit of the event was not too competitive, as Seb highlights, "While it's a competition, there's a lot of camaraderie between the teams. We especially like to watch how everyone else works."

Result

The traditional awards ceremony, in the evening, was both colorful and warm. The firefighters from Berlin won for the second year in a row, followed by Geneva and Venice who also confirmed their incredibly high-level technical abilities. Congratulations to everyone!

1. Höhenrettung Berliner Feuerwehr: 881
2. Grimp Genève: 874
3. V.V.F Venezia Italy: 868
4. GRIMP 51: 839
5. GRIMP 95: 834
6. GRIMP SIS Neuchâtel: 827
7. Oslo Fire, Norwegian Air ambulance and Police: 824
8. WYSOKOŚCIÓWKA.org: 821
9. GRIMP 54:810
10. Bombers de Barcelona: 809
11. ASMP77:  790
12. Brandweer Halle: 789
13. West Midlands Fire Service: 786
14. Special Rescue Association: 784
15. Gasilska brigada Ljubljana 781
16. RED Team Zone Centrum Gent 780
17. Hoogtereddingsteam VRU Utrecht 779
18. Colonna Soccorso Airolo 759
19. Metro Vancouver Fire 755
20. ComandoGrimp 749
21. R.C. Bomberos Malaga 735
22. Fire and Rescue Service Kranj 735
23. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service: 729
24. Scottish Fire & Rescue / East: 706
25. RISC - Bruxelles : 705
26. South Wales Rope Rescue: 697
27. London Fire Brigade Rope Rescue Team: 696
28. Grimp Namur: 681
29. HZS SZDC: 671
30. HKFS High Angle Rescue Team : 669
31. GRIMP 78: 656
32. Hong kong Blue-sky Special Rope Task Force: 621
33. CONSORCI BOMBERS VALENCIA: 61
34. Meath Civil Defence: 546
35. Taiwan TYFB seach&rescue team: 530

View the video

Xavier, Technical Director for GRIMPDAY, looks forward to seeing everyone for the tenth edition!

Everyone agrees that this ninth edition was fantastic, given the smiles and thanks expressed throughout the entire day.

"Each edition is unique. In 2014, we wanted to diversify the events as much as possible, and we clearly succeeded. The sun shined bright, and both participants and the general public expressed their enthusiasm. We had a great day in a very friendly atmosphere.

The highlight for GrimpDay is always the interaction between everyone. That is its strength. I thoroughly enjoy watching the creativity applied by each team to execute a rescue.

- Anything to change?

- There are still improvements to be made. Just wait until you see the tenth edition, it won't disappoint!

- What about the risks?

- As a firefighter, we understand that we work in a dangerous profession, and this type of event reinforces our attention to risk. In spite of everyone's professionalism, grave errors are always possible. This get-together provides the opportunity to improve technique, and we see teams truly make progress from one year to the next. They then apply these techniques in the field to everyone's benefit."

 Slideshow