Massachusetts Firefighters Win New Gym Equipment

After years of suffering with subpar gym equipment, Quincy Fire Department's Engine 5 was bestowed with the gear they need to pump up their life-saving skills.

"It brings new life to the place," Lt. Steve Infascelli said as the fire company received the Paramount Fit 5000 workout station yesterday.

Engine 5 beat out hundreds of Bay State fire companies to win the gym centerpiece in a competition sponsored by the Herald and Precision Fitness Equipment. The companies also held similar competitions for school children.

For their entry, Engine 5 submitted an altered photo of 22-year veteran firefighter Edward Nardone's head on a jacked jake atop a fire truck, along with a 50- to 60-pound heavier, shirtless Nardone lounging on a fire engine. The enclosed essay chronicled the difficulty out-of-shape firefighters face scaling the ladder to help trapped victims escape blazing buildings, and how much easier it would be with adequate gym equipment.

"We didn't have anything," Nardone said of the old workout gear. "Just an old bench, some old steel weights . . . It was pretty primitive."

Now the firefighters have the benefit of the all-in-one workout station, a huge improvement over their second-hand weights.

"It started out just as a joke," Nardone said. "(But) we started thinking, ??????We have a great shot at this."

Republished with permission of The Boston Herald.