Tamarac Fire Rescue Team Takes 1st Place in International Tournament

Members of the Tamarac team competed in the Trauma Standard Scenario in Spain, which they won. (Courtesy photo)

By Martin Lenkowsky

When Tamarac Fire Rescue arrived at the scene of the horrific construction site accident, they found the victim, a young male, unresponsive and bleeding heavily through a gaping hole in his abdomen.

Years of training and experience came in handy as the local first responders knew precisely how to deal with this acute emergency. They stabilized the patient and took the steps necessary to save his life.

And now, some better news: Thankfully, there was no accident. The victim was an actor, and this entire frightening scenario did not take place. Instead, it was all part of the World Rescue Challenge 2023, an international competition held annually for teams of first responders from around the globe.

Held in Lanzarote, Spain, in the Canary Islands, the fictitious scenario described above was part of a competition aptly titled the Trauma Standard Scenario, in which the Tamarac team earned first place out of 32 teams. Overall, Tamarac placed 11th in the five-day event, which ended on October 21.

Capt. Michael Boyhan, a 12-year veteran of the Tamarac Fire Department, as well as the Tamarac Fire Rescue Department’s team leader, said they won the Trauma Standard Scenario because they treated it accurately and quickly. “A lot of verbiage was needed,” he explained.

Team members (l to r) Chris Curbelo, Michael Boyhan, Kingman Mais, Francois Avril (Courtesy photo)

All the actors playing the role of accident victims did a fantastic job, Boyhan said. “They made it look so realistic,” adding they had to cut open the victim’s clothing to get to the wound. Plus, in some scenarios, the actors would add to the sense of reality by screaming and crying.

The assessing judges were ER doctors from different countries.

Boyhan, 35, a Margate resident, says his team impressed the judges by providing the “victim” the correct treatment. “They assessed our performance as the best of the world’s teams.”

There are a total of four members on the Tamarac team: Boyhan, Kingman Mais, 33, a Plantation resident; Francois Avril, 36, a Tamarac resident; and Chris Curbelo, 32, a Miami Lakes resident.

They practice regularly and have competed in other competitions. According to Boyhan, his team is ranked No. 1 in Florida. The Canary Islands tournament was their first overseas venture. All team members enjoyed the camaraderie of meeting and observing their peers from around the globe.

They spoke with many other teams and realized the many types of emergency calls they receive regularly are pretty much the same all around. “Even though it’s in Dublin, Ireland, it’s the same calls as here,” Curbelo said.

Observing other first responders responding to emergencies was a valuable learning tool for them. “My experience was great,” Avril said. “Being on the international stage, it definitely opened my eyes to a lot of different experiences.”

Avril was particularly interested in speaking with other departments and learning about the different equipment and procedures they use regularly. He said he’d like to be trained on some of it at home. “That can allow us to better serve our residents in Tamarac,” he said. “It’s all about being progressive and finding new ways to treat our residents.”

The team described being on the volcanic island of Lanzarote as an other-worldly experience. “It looked like a lunar landscape,” Mais said.

Boyhan added, “It looked like Mars. It was hot during the day and cool at night.”

Only three teams from the United States qualified for the competition. Coincidentally, all three were from South Florida: Tamarac, Davie, and Miami-Dade County. “We were the only U.S. team to win anything,” said Boyhan. What made their win even more impressive was that they were competing against teams worldwide with thousands of employees.

Capt. Michael Boyhan, left, and Chris Curbelo at the Tamarac Fire Rescue station. (Martin Lenkowsky)

And now they’ve tasted the thrill of international competition – as well as winning a major event – the entire squad is looking forward to qualifying again next year. They are waiting to see if they take home top honors in the Florida Cup. The final qualifying competition is scheduled for the weekend before Thanksgiving. If they win, it’s on to Portugal next year.

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Martin Lenkowsky

Martin Lenkowsky moved to Coral Springs from NYC in 1982. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. He has been both writer and editor for a number of South Florida publications since 1983. He considers features writing his specialty.