FIREFIGHTERS from Worcester have shown off their skills and reached an impressive second place in a national competition.

Firefighters from Worcester Fire Station competed against fire services from across the country in the National Breathing Apparatus Challenge.

It is the highest that Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has ever been placed.

During the day, each of the 16 teams were given 30 minutes to extinguish a building fire and safely rescue the numerous casualties from within.

Throughout the challenge the teams were judged by a team of 22 national assessors on their technical and practical skills, as well as their knowledge and experience.

The winners were then revealed at a ceremony in the evening and the Worcester team narrowly missed out on winning the title.

As well as the team from Worcester, a team from Broadway also competed and finished in sixth place.

Both teams gained the honour of representing Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service after winning places in the Service challenge earlier in the year.

Chief Fire Officer Mark Yates said: "Both teams performed exceptionally well and have done the Service proud. "Competitions such as the National Breathing Apparatus Challenge are excellent opportunities for fire services from across the country to come together and share best practice."

He added: "Not only have HWFRS given the best ever performance in this competition, but we've also achieved some amazing results in previous national and international competitions this year.

"We are extremely honoured to have some of the most talented and professional firefighters in the country serving Herefordshire and Worcestershire."

The annual competition took place at the Fire Service College in Gloucestershire on Saturday, October 10.

The competition is designed to further educate firefighters and enable them to respond to incidents in the best way possible by putting their skills to the test.

A HWFRS team that triumphed at the UKRO National Trauma Competition earlier in the year will go forward to represent the UK at the World Trauma Championships in Portugal this week.