Johnson City Fire Fighter Takes Home Tennessee Gold

July 22, 2008 – Johnson City, TN Local 1791 fire fighter Tom McCormack dominated the Tennessee Police and Fire Games, winning five track gold medals during the June event. McCormack, 54, won the 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,600 meters, 5K and 10K road races. His wins also earned the Johnson City Fire Department enough points to take first place overall in the games’ Small Department Division.

All races were held on the same day in various locations throughout Nashville.

“I had just come back to competitive racing this year after recovering from a knee injury,” says McCormack, a 22-year veteran fire fighter. “To train, I ran about 30 miles per week and competed in several road races. But, I could not have done it without the support of my local.”

Johnson City Local 1791 paid for his entry fees and offered a per diem.

McCormack, originally from Mullingar, Ireland, came to the United States in 1973 on a track and field scholarship at East Tennessee State University. After college, he continued to run until his knee injury a few years ago.

The Local 1791 member credits his years of running with making him a better fire fighter. “In our profession, it’s good to stay in shape, not just for the physical requirements of the job, but for stress,” he says.

Because McCormack did so well in the Tennessee games, he is now qualified to participate in the World Police and Fire Games to be held July 31-August 9, 2009, in British Columbia.