Iowa firefighter becomes viral sensation
IOWA, LA (KPLC) - A video of an Iowa firefighter completing a firefighting training exercise is going viral and he said he's bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase "a round peg in a square hole". You can view the video HERE.
While the firefighter is gaining notoriety online, he said he didn't expect all the attention. He just wanted to prove he could do it.
Sonny Coffey is a volunteer firefighter in Iowa. He towers at about 6'3" and weighs 325 pounds.
On Wednesday, he and his colleagues were demonstrating a specific firefighting training exercise with a ladder.
"I looked at it and I didn't think I'd make it cause I am a big guy. I tried it the first time and I backed out. They all went through it so I decided I was going to do it again and I pushed myself to go through it," explained Coffey.
After two attempts and encouragement from his fellow firefighters, he made it through the 12 by 16 inch opening for the very first time.
"I was amazed with myself, that I actually did it," he said.
His successful pursuit was recorded then uploaded onto Facebook. It's been five days since it was posted and it has more than 150,000 views from all over the country and the world.
"We got people from Germany, Slovenia. I got a friend request from a guy in Thailand today. All over the United States I've got friend requests," Coffey said.
On social media, it's inevitable to get naysayers but Coffey's video is serving as inspiration.
"They didn't think he would make it, when he said his size and weight. A lot of people thought he wasn't 325 [pounds] or there's no way he's that big but I saw a lot of the bigger guys commenting, 'Well if he can do it, I can.'" said Iowa Fire Department Captain Dustin Mallet.
Coffey said confidence and training go hand in hand.
"It just goes to show that your size does depend on what you can do but if you push yourself and you get accurate training, you could go a lot further with yourself. You've got to have self-confidence," said Coffey.
It's confidence that made him try the same exercise again on Sunday. He beat his last record by 45 seconds.
Copyright 2015 KPLC. All rights reserved.
