Fire Brigade Running
26 March, 2026
Horsham juniors make their mark at CFA competition
THOUSANDS gathered in Stawell for the CFA/VFBV Urban Juniors State Firefighter Championships over the weekend, with Horsham Under-14 and Under-17 teams also part of the competition.
It’s been 20 years since the town held the event, with a welcomed buzz everywhere; there was an opening parade and remarks from CFA acting chief executive, Jason Heffernan and VFBV state president, Samantha Collins.
Echuca A came in first, taking the top spot from Melton A who have held it for the past five years.
Horsham fire brigade volunteer, David Hornsby, helps his son Jonathan with coaching the teams, and said that while this time they missed out on prizes, the juniors still got a lot out of the weekend.
“It was a good competition,” David said.
“There's always better teams ... but they had trained all year down and been to four or five other competitions throughout the year.
“So this is a combination of those (events) leading up to try and get your best score.
“On this one locally, probably we had some would have been in top 10 in a few of the events.”
With roughly 40 other teams from across Victoria, David said the Horsham competitors took inspiration from watching the techniques and skills of so many other teams.
“You look to see how they're doing it, and where you can improve on your own run,” he said.
A full list of results can be found online at bit.ly/4sthGVJ.
The competitions in Stawell aren’t over either - this weekend the Urban Senior, Rural Junior and Senior State Firefighter Championships will be doing their best as well - more details can be found at bit.ly/3Pv9RjS.
David said an eight-competitor contingent from Horsham would be present, and they were looking forward to the various challenges.
“There's only the one category, but there's just more events to do, and the same sort of stuff, but the hoses are bigger,” he said.
“The kids only use 38 millimetre hose, and the seniors use 64mm hose – and then we also use a cart, which you push or pull down the track and lay the hoses off of it.”
CFA acting chief officer, Alen Slijepcevic AFSM congratulated all the competitors from last weekend and thanked those who worked hard behind the scenes to see the event come to life.
“It was fantastic to see the Juniors battle it out over the weekend but more importantly, it’s great seeing the camaraderie between brigades and the skills of our future firefighters being showcased to thousands of spectators,” he said.
“I look forward to seeing everyone again this weekend. May the best team win!”
