Cedar Area Fire & Rescue Lieutenant Joseph Voiles competed in his second ‘World’s Strongest Firefighter’ on Friday and Saturday, March 1-2 in Columbus, Ohio at the Arnold Sports Festival.
Voiles made it through the intense competition of 120 firefi ghters from seven different countries to finish 10th.
“It was amazing how much (Cedar Fire & Rescue colleagues) rallied around and supported me ... We completely revamped our workout area for everybody to help boost up our physical fitness,” Voiles said. “The amount of support that I got from everybody here was … it got emotional when I got in the truck and found out that everyone pitched in to help out with some of the finances behind it.”
Voiles finished 11th in 2023. In the prelims on Friday, Voiles competed against 32 other firefighters and took seventh to make it to the finals.
In the prelims, Voiles excelled in various exercises including a 35-to-55 pound sandbag toss over a 16-foot bar; press medley (dumbbell press, 265 pounds); axle bar press (300 pounds); log press (285 pounds).
“I didn’t complete the log press but I got four implements and I ran out of time,” he said.
Voiles lifted 550 pounds 10 times in a bottom-up squat; an 800 pound yoke walk, and a 600 pound wheelbarrow carry in the second half of the prelims. His best finish happened in the wheelbarrow carry where he finished fifth overall.
Voiles had to push it to the limit in the final to finish in the top-10.
In the finals, Voiles competed in a 25-pound (each arm) ax hold; a 645-pound tire dead lift, and a 235-pound hydrant press for high reps.
“I felt like I really needed to make it to the finals again... It would have been almost a disappointment if I didn’t make the finals again,” Voiles said. “My mentality going into the finals was to finish top-10 just to improve from last year... I was able to accomplish both of those. There were only five of us that were in the finals last year that made it again to the finals this year.”
The World’s Strongest Firefighter competition is a part of the 2023 Arnold Sports Festival, which is the mecca fitness, bodybuilding and strongman competitions.
“You make the finals and it’s an amazing feeling because you go to the main stage of the Arnold …you look out and it’s just a sea of people (100,000 people),” he said. “It’s cool to represent the fire service. We are not the pros or anything, this is just something we do as a hobby.”
Voiles says he will keep going as long as he makes it to the finals.
“I was sitting backstage at the finals... The cool thing about this is the friendships you develop with people throughout the whole world. I’ve become really good friends with a guy from Florida (Michael McGowan) ... he and I were sitting backstage just talking and we’re both like, well, now we gotta come back again next year.”
McGowan, a Florida Palm Beach County Firefighter, finished second overall in the contest.
Voiles began preparing for the 2024 competition as soon as the 2023 event ended last year. He credits his trainer Sean Schumaker of Youngstown, Ohio for working with him at least four times a week over the past year.
“I work out at least four days a week in the strong man stuff. Um, and he gears it specifically towards what events we’re doing and how we’re gonna go about it” Voiles said. “It’s fun because we have to get creative because obviously I don’t have all the implements that we use. We have to get creative with what we do with minimal equipment.”
Cedar firefighter and paramedic Johnny “Robo” Robydek secured a media pass and joined Voiles at the strongest firefighter competition and captured these photos during the competition.
Anybody who works with Voiles definitely doesn’t, or shouldn’t have to do any of the heavy lifting when on call.
“They can take a little bit of a break while we help pick people up or heavy stuff … I’m the default guy that has to do that,” Voiles said. “This has helped me out a lot in this career. The fact that I’ve gone back-to-back now there is definitely a boost of confidence.”
