{M3 Video: Up to the challenge »

CEDAR FALLS - Just one year after competing in his first Firefighter Combat Challenge Shane Farmer can already boast a world ranking.

Last month Farmer, a Cedar Falls firefighter, competed in the Firefighter World Challenge XVI in Las Vegas. In just 1 minute, 37.39 seconds Farmer finished a five-part agility course which includes a five-story climb, hose hoist, forcible entry simulation, hose advance and victim rescue - all in full firefighter gear. His finish time ranks him 28th in the world. Participants from the United States, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa participated in this year's event.

"That was my fastest time. My best time going out there was 1:41. The venue was so spectacular, it's pretty easy to get pumped up," said Farmer. "The guy I raced against, when we were doing the dummy drag, he was ahead of me and I started catching him. He beat me by 10 feet and got 13th. I was only three seconds off from being in the top 10."

Though Farmer is excited by his finish, he is already planning ways to improve during the next season, which runs from April to November. He will however take off a month before picking up his training schedule again in January.

"I accomplished a lot more than I set out to accomplish this year, but I see some things I can improve on so next year I can hopefully get into the top 10," he said.

The competition will air on Versus Jan. 5 at 3 p.m. and Jan. 8 at 4 p.m.

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1570 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.