By Todd Kleiboer

Communications Specialist

As Sherman High School senior Ben Gardner pulls on his bunker gear, he shows off a trick his internship at Sherman Fire Department taught him.

“I put the sleeves inside out-” Gardner adjusts the heavy jacket. “-and then throw it over my head.” Within seconds, he’s zipping it up. Or trying to.

“The zipper does get stuck sometimes though.”

Hopefully his jacket zipper doesn’t stick when Gardner heads this week to Corpus Christi to compete in the Firefighting contest at the SkillsUSA Texas Conference. Gardner took home the gold at the District contest in February, and now he’s aiming for a state medal and a spot at Nationals.

Going into the District Firefighting contest, Gardner didn’t quite know what to expect.

“I was definitely nervous going into it,” he said. “The only information I had about it was a pamphlet and a second-hand experience of someone who did it last year. The pamphlet tells you something to an extent, but it doesn’t prepare you.”

When Gardner and the other competitors finished their written test on procedure, they went into the cold morning air at Tarrant County College to begin the physical tests.

“There’s a push-up benchmark. You have to do 60 push-ups in 60 seconds,” Gardner said. “Points are deducted if you do less. Same thing with sit-ups, and there’s a 100-meter dash which you have to complete in under 15 seconds.”

And that’s before he has to pull on his bunker gear, which weighs between 30 to 45 pounds. While in that gear, Gardner had to drag a 129-pound dummy to safety and rush up five flights of stairs while carrying a hose over his shoulder, all timed. He also had to navigate a building blindfolded by following the hose and do a series of knot and hoist tests.

“I was so tired,” Gardner said about finishing the physical tests. “I wanted to take a nap, and it wasn’t even noon.”

He credited his endurance to his participation in athletics, particularly track and field, and his internship at Sherman FD developed the daily skills and discipline needed. With Gardner enlisting in the Marines, these skills will likely transfer.

“I’ve always seen myself doing my part as a citizen for my country,” Gardner said. “If I want to do something more on the homefront before I’m retired, then I’ll probably go into the first responder field.”

Gardner has family members on both sides. Two uncles are firefighters, and while he would be the first in his immediate family to serve, an uncle and great-uncle have served as well.