Challenge: Damage Control

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Here is an idea I had for a challenge: Damage Control

The challenge would involve the salvage of a burning, sinking vessel. The teams would have to devise a means of getting to the vessel based on how far the vessel is from shore (1/4 mile/400 meters would be a good distance). Once the team reaches the vessel they would have to put out the fire. Once the fire is out they could choose speed to get the vessel to shore before it sinks or pump out the water in the vessel first. The first team to accomplish this without sinking the vessel wins.

True this is similar to the fireboat challenge, but with the added time limit (the vessel has several leaks and would sink in roughly 15 minutes if the fire can’t be put out). Also, if they use too much water to put out the fire, they could sink the vessel.

After seeing many episodes, I think two teams could pull this off in many different ways and in 10 hours.

-- Derek France (bellerophon@home.com), April 09, 2001

Answers

So let's see: A boat with an on-board water pump to put out fire, plus the water pump would have to do double duty as a bilge/hull pump to keep the second boat afloat after the fire was out, PLUS a way to tow the second boat to shore? This has got to be more fun than the put-out-the-flaming-cabin challenge they did with fire boats before!

-- Chip Haynes (ehaynes@co.pinellas.fl.us), April 09, 2001.

And don't forget, at the end of the challenge you have to do a running race around some cones while carrying heavy objects (no machines allowed) which will be the final and completely unbiased way of choosing the winner but has nothing to do with the given challenge.

-- Uncle Orange (orange_nz@hotmail.com), April 09, 2001.

Thank God for health insurance.

-- Julie Summersell (Juliesummersell@aol.com), April 12, 2001.

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