Friendly competition blazes at Cannon Published Oct. 22, 2012 By Senior Airman Jette Carr 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Skies filled with grumbling dark clouds and flashes of light as a rainstorm hit Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Oct. 12, during the activity filled fire prevention week. With lightning streaking across the sky within five miles of the base, the 14th Annual Fire Muster was put on hold to the chagrin of the numerous teams competing and the Cannon Fire Department. Rescheduled for a warm, sunny day, the fire muster commenced with sprinting bodies and hoses blasting, Oct. 19. "The idea for this event is nothing new," said Bruce Ford, Cannon Fire Department assistant chief of fire prevention. "Fire musters have been around forever. In fact, they date back to the 1600s. The year before we started ours, we hosted the Eastern New Mexico Fire Muster on base for the local fire departments." Ford said squadrons wanted to put teams in as well, so the following year the Cannon Fire Department decided to use teams from base rather than local fire professionals. "It gives them a chance to compete and see what we do in our jobs at the fire station," said the chief. "It's also an opportunity for us to get the fire prevention message out to the base with an activity people can actively participate in." Over the years the Cannon Fire Muster has evolved into an obstacle course, a fire truck pull, a fire hose assembly, target practice and many other athletic events. Master Sgt. Nathaniel Nelson, 27th Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels NCO in charge of distribution, and his team, Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants, took second place after a fierce race. "My favorite event was the truck pull," said Nelson. "That's why I was brought here. I took anchor, which was tough. It put a lot of stress on these old knees, but we got it done," he said laughing. "We were almost the fastest, but we were beaten by half a second!" This event is important because it builds comradery, said Nelson. This kind of competition shows what comradery looks like when it's good and what can be accomplished. "There should be more like it," he said. Airmen were brought together by their experience and congratulated the winners. The runner-ups, POL, said they plan on coming back next year with a vengeance for some more friendly competition. Click here to view a slideshow of more images from this event.