Sixty seven junior teams from around Victoria and one team from Western Australia will compete in the annual Victorian urban junior championships run by Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) in conjunction with the Country Fire Authority.

Warrnambool has hosted the event five times in its 45-year history, most recently in 2013.

With the addition of family members, the event is expected to attract about 2000 people to Warrnambool.

Warrnambool Urban Fire Brigade organising committee chairman Malcolm Bishop said joining a junior brigade and competing in the championships gave young people an early insight into the work of volunteer firefighters.

“It gives them a taste of what it’s like to be a firefighter and hopefully they will go on to join the brigade,” Mr Bishop said.

“We’ve seen hundreds of junior members progress through to senior ranks and become volunteer firefighters,” he said.

Teams will compete in under 14 and under 17 competitions in practical events with hoses, hydrants and targets.

“There are a lot of traditional events that stem back to the late 1880s when people would couple hoses to hydrants to fight fires,” Mr Bishop said.

“It’s all about hitting targets in the quickest possible times and becoming efficient in their operational skills,” he said.

VFBV chief executive Andrew Ford said the best way for young people to become engaged in the fire fighting community and learn practical skills before being old enough to attend fires was to join junior brigades and the championships. 

Warrnambool will have both under 14 and under 17 teams competing next weekend.

The VFBV rural state championships will also be held at the Warrnambool showgrounds on April 7-8, giving visitor numbers another significant boost.