PHOTOS: Firefighters have to keep up with their training and the Atascocita Fire Department decided to try out a new training method to improve their performance: sumo.
On Sunday, firefighters took to the ring with Shogeki Sumo Wrestlers to hopefully learn new techniques to apply when fighting a fire. Sports teams do the same thing to help with their performance. For example, athletes try cross-training, football linebackers try ballet for their agility, and basketball players use yoga for flexibility.
"It’s definitely a little outside of the box. When you think of firefighters or sumo wrestlers, you wouldn’t normally consider their skill sets linked, but in fact, the forces acting upon the athlete or firefighter are very similar," said LT Keith Sagray, who organized the training event.