LAPLACE — Climbing ladders, hauling heavy hoses and navigating through smoke are some of the things firefighters must do rescue those in trouble or put out a blaze.

Executing these maneuvers quickly and correctly saves lives.

Firefighters from St. John the Baptist Parish showed off what hard work and training can do by winning a state drill competition this year. Four firefighters, led by Chief Cain Dufrene, took home first place in the Louisiana State Firemen’s Association 2015 Competitive Drills competition. It was their second consecutive win.

The drills firefighters had to complete were similar to tasks they would do on duty.

“We asked anybody who worked for the fire stations in the parish if they wanted to compete,” Dufrene said. “It was mostly anyone who would be willing to put in the time to train.”

Michael Phillpott, one of the firefighters on the team, said the men put in a lot of effort training and in the actual competition.

“The drills were meant to imitate the actions taken on the scene of a fire like securing a ladder to a building and search and rescue,” Phillpott said. “It changed from past years. This year it was more physically demanding.”

Phillpott said the competition was one continuous event, just like a fire.

“You are only given one can of oxygen,” Philpott said. “You can’t run, but you have to go as fast as you can.”

Dufrene said he is proud of the men for showing dedication in completing the course.

“This competition represents everything they normally do, and basically they fine tune their skills,” Dufrene said. “It shows the level of commitment the guys put to being better at what they do.”

Dufrene said he knew the men worked hard training and was not surprised when they won a second time.

He was surprised by the times, noting the St. John team beat out one team by more than 10 minutes.

The St. John the Baptist Firefighters completed the full course in 14 minutes.

“It shows their dedication to train on those particular events and the dedication they have for the job,” Dufrene said. “It represents the overall skills they have as firefighters. If something was to happen, those guys have the ability to preform those drills flawlessly.”

The competition was held locally in April. The firefighters that represented the Parish were Michael Phillpott, Travis Ettie, William Parker and Michael Moscona.

— By Raquel Derganz Baker