RULES

All competitors MUST attend registration at 9:00 on the day of their race WITH FIRE KIT ready to race at 10:00. Fire Service Identification Cards must be presented to registration to confirm attendance. Failure to attend registration at 09:00 may result in disqualification.

Participants must be Operational Firefighters, with a valid annual fitness test in their service, who are able to wear Breathing Apparatus and over the age of 18 years. Retired Firefighters are welcome to participate, they will be asked to provide evidence that they meet the minimum UK Fire Service standard of 42.3 VO2 (ml/O2/min) within the calendar year of their registration. To ensure registration is fair and available for all persons around the UK, the host Fire & Rescue Service will be capped at 40 registrations.

The East Midlands Firefighter Challenge entry fees cover administration costs and expenses of the competition. Unfortunately we are currently unable to offer refunds on registration after confirmation. Registration takes place via a third party website so any errors in cost should be taken up with them. In extreme circumstances, entries may be carried over to the following year, please contact us to request this. 

East Midlands Firefighter Challenge reserves the right to revise the order in which competition categories run the course. Competitors will be made aware of the running order, it is the responsibility of the competitor to ensure they are aware of their race time allocation and are ready to race. The next-up competitor must be in the staging area in full turnout gear when the preceding participants are at the start line. Individuals not ready for their allocated starting time will be disqualified. Competitors are not permitted to swap races with other competitors once the running order has been allocated.

The East Midlands Firefighter Challenge (EMFC) has always worked hard to encourage participation from any gender and the Open Category was formed to support this. As part of the BFC Series, the EMFC will support and encourage individuals of any gender to participate in the events whilst ensuring categorisation of individuals falls in line with the Supreme Court ruling (2025) whereby “the legal definition of a person’s sex refers to the one recorded at their birth”. We recognise that the advice and position on sex and gender within sport as a result of this ruling is still evolving and therefore, we will continue to update our processes on this accordingly. If you have any queries about this, please get in touch with the team. 

The East Midlands Firefighter Challenge and its series have the following individual categories for participants to compete in:
Male – Individuals assigned the biological sex of male at birth may compete in this category.
Female – Individuals assigned the biological sex of female at birth may compete in this category.
Open – Any individuals whose gender does not reflect the biological sex they were assigned at birth. This includes, but is not limited to, trans men, trans women and non-binary individuals.

Relay categories are as follows and individuals will not be permitted to alter their category between the point of registration for any individual races and registration for relays. I.E. A person would not be permitted to race in the male or open category for an individual race and then race in a female relay team. Confirmation of individual categories may be requested by the registration team registering relay teams.

British Male – all four participants are male as defined by their biological sex at birth and all work for the same British Fire and Rescue Service
Male – all four participants are male as defined by their biological sex at birth but may work for any British or non British FRS.
British Female – all four participants are female as defined by their biological sex at birth and all work for the same British Fire and Rescue Service
Female – all four participants are female as defined by their biological sex at birth but may work for any British or non British FRS.
Mixed – the four participants can include any make up but must include at least two of the following individuals; male as defined by their biological sex at birth, female as defined by their biological sex at birth or individuals whose gender does not reflect their biological sex as defined at birth. Individuals who raced in the Open Individual category will be able to raise in this category for a relay.

From 2026 onwards the age categories for males and females competing in the East Midlands Firefighter Challenge will be:
18-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65+

This will be based on the individual’s age as of the 31st December of the race year.

From 2026 onwards any firefighter challenges that are part of the BFC series will also adopt these age categories for males and females. This is due to the growing popularity of the event and our commitment to celebrating excellence at every age.

At present we have not had sufficient athletes registering in our open category to be able to follow the same age categories as our males and females, however we hope to see increasing numbers in this category and will continually review the decision on open category ages each year.

A breathing apparatus set for use during the competition will be provided and must be worn by all Firefighters. Any wilful or malicious destruction of event equipment will result in disqualification from the competition.

All competitors must compete in their own protective equipment. PPE  (full turnout gear – helmet, jacket, trousers, fire gloves and boots) must be serviceable (i.e., without holes and clean), approved for national standard and consistent with NFPA / CE standards in effect at the time of manufacture. Fire helmets must be either currently or previously made for the use of compartment firefighting to British Standards or country of origin equivalent. The use of rescue helmets, cadet helmets or any other helmet not designed for compartment firefighting is strictly forbidden. Firefighting helmets may be tastefully decorated and visors and neck shields are allowed to be removed.  Fire hoods are also not required. Articles of turnout gear, SCBA, and all other equipment/worn apparel (including eyewear, radios, etc.) must not be removed or lost during the competition. If dropped, they must be retrieved and correctly replaced by the competitor before continuing. Non-retrieval results in disqualification. 

Competitors found to be non-compliant either during or after a competition will be disqualified and their time nullified.

Questions about the suitability and compliance should be directed to the Course Marshal prior to racing. Duct tape or other visible modifications are not permitted. Coats and jackets must be properly sized and cover the area of intended protection. Collars must be showing (not tucked in). Structural boots must have a steel sole/shank and toe (i.e., meet NFPA / CE protection requirements). Helmet decorations are allowed, however helmets must have an NFPA-compliant label with the original suspension and padding present.

Officials may inspect all gear prior to participation. Their decisions are final. Any competitor who reports to the Staging Area and is found to be in violation of these rules will be subject to a time penalty or disqualification depending upon the severity of the infraction.

All competitors must be wearing clean Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Any contaminated PPE used at the event may result in disqualification.

All competitors are personally responsible for the completion of each task. No course volunteer has the authority to instruct a competitor in the negotiation of the events on the course; only the Course Marshal can intervene or direct the actions of a competitor. In those rare situations where the event staff, or the opposing competitor may have created an impediment, the options to rectify this situation may include a deduction in time to remedy the hindrance or allow another run of the course.

All competitors must have completed the course in 5:59 (not including penalties). If a competitor has not completed the course 5:59, there run will be stopped no matter how close to the finish line. All tasks must be attempted for a valid run to be recorded.

The competitor and the referee will resolve all disputes regarding penalties. We do not review video footage under any circumstances, etc. All head referee decisions are final. Protests must be filed immediately with the referee, before the next race, prior to leaving the course.

Queries regarding penalties or disqualifications can be raised with the head referee prior to competitor signature for resolution.