Kingman Mais, Chris Curbelo, Mike Boyhan, Francois Avril, and Joseph Anello. {Mike Boyhan}
To win a state championship is always a major achievement.
The Tamarac Fire Rescue Advanced Life Support (ALS) Team has won three consecutive state championships, also known as the Florida Cup. The team was evaluated in fire-rescue scenarios at competitions across the state. The most recent cup was awarded for the team’s work in 2025, and the group is continuing to work together, according to Captain Michael Boyhan, the Tamarac team leader.
In those competitions, ALS teams participated in emergency scenarios, usually mass-casualty events, and were evaluated on how well they assessed, diagnosed, and treated injured people at the scene. One scenario involved treating injured people in a swamp environment, where the teams treated those who had been attacked by alligators and snakes, according to Boyhan.
“To win three consecutive state championships is a great feeling; we are the best! We usually participate in about 12 competitions a year,” said Lieutenant Chris Curbelo.
The scenarios might take place in a store, such as Publix, or in an amusement park, such as Universal Studios. They involve situations that a firefighter might face on the job. “We have to check the vital signs of someone who may be injured. We have to talk with that person and get a sense of what happened. We also have to be detectives to determine how an accident happened or could have been avoided,” said Driver Engineer Francois Avril.
Captain Kingman Mais remembered a scenario at Universal Studios in which some of the employees, who are also actors, participated. “We had to identify the problem and assess the situation quickly,” he said.
Now, Tamarac is creating another ALS team that will compete at the state level. Meanwhile, the team that won the three Florida Cups will compete at the national and international levels. They plan to compete in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November.
“Winning three championships is a major accomplishment, and we want them to compete at a higher level,” said Boyhan. “We also want to give some of our younger firefighters a chance to compete at the state level.”
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