Two Lakeland Fire Department Rapid Intervention Teams competed in the nation’s only Fire Service Rapid Intervention Competition at the Southeast’s largest Fire & Rescue Conference in Orlando.
This year’s event featured a redesigned, skills-based course focused on core firemanship and real-world RIT operations. The new course created a challenging and humbling test for all teams.
Competitions like this are invaluable—they expose gaps, test decision-making under pressure, and reveal areas of opportunity for improvement.
The real win is bringing those lessons home, sharpening our skills, and getting better at the job that actually matters: taking care of our own on the fireground.
Respect to the crews who put themselves out there, took on the challenge, and are committed to coming back stronger.
