GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – The competition was quite literally on fire at the 2026 Summer Gator Fire Games, where young candidates hoping to one day become firefighters or emergency medical services (EMS) personnel gathered to showcase their skills. <\/p>\n
Hosted by Alachua County Fire Rescue (ACFR) through the Florida Fire Chiefs Association, the annual event brought together departments from all across the state. For these competitors, this game meant much more than just a trophy.<\/p>\n
This year marks the fifth anniversary of ACFR hosting the games, which filled the Alachua County Sports and Event Center with energy and support. The event brought together 180 kids and 80 advisors.<\/p>\n
With departments from across Florida competing, participants faced seven distinct challenges designed to test and showcase their abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt kind of picks different aspects of the fire service, and we make it a competition event for the kids to really practice and get good at putting bunker gear on as a gear race,\u201d said Karem Scott-Kotb, ACFR Assistant Chief. \u201cSo they take it very seriously. They want to win these trophies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Winning at least one of those trophies is no easy task. It requires going head-to-head against 17 other departments in one of the seven challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe work really, really hard for what we get,\u201d said Kylie Ribble and Joshua Tillery, cadets representing Miami-Dade County. \u201cAnd, you know, we are really lucky to be able to build our own props and have access to things that maybe some other counties don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
For many of these cadets, the passion for first responding started at a very young age, and they are clear about their future career path.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s another career like it,\u201d said Dex Thornton and Chloe Farris, Alachua County Fire Rescue cadets. \u201cAnd saving people is just like a different kind of feeling\u2014you\u2019re not gonna get that anywhere else. You\u2019re there for people on their worst day, and they don\u2019t call you when they want you there. They call when you\u2019re needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fire leaders believe that events like this are about more than just building skills; they help cadets learn that the fire department is a family, even before they officially enter the career field.<\/p>\n