Horry County firefighters and friends push for world competition to come to Myrtle Beach

Several Horry County firefighters and their out-of-state buddies want to bring a world firefighter competition to Myrtle Beach in 2010 that could draw 1,000 athletes and their families from as far away as Australia.

The city already has hosted four regional Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge competitions and at least 15 state competitions, but this would be bigger and better, said Michael Medeiros, wellness coordinator at Horry County Fire-Rescue.

The five-day world competition is comprised of timed two- and five-person relays and individual trips through an obstacle course that includes a four-story climb and the dragging of a heavy fire hose and human dummy.

"I think that'd be a big attraction, not only to this area, but to a lot of vacationers who are looking to come this way,'' Medeiros said. "We enjoyed having regionals here, but to have a whole week of it, that's a week of them staying in hotels and paying money all week long.''

Read Tourism Talk in the Money section of Sunday's edition of The Sun News for more on this story.