SALISBURY — Miller’s Ferry Volunteer Fire Department will host the 10th annual Junior Firefighter Muster, an obstacle-course style competition in which participants have a chance to win money for their junior fire program.

The competition begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at Miller’s Ferry Fire station No. 64, 2650 Long Ferry Road.

This year, organizers will honor Justin Monroe, who began as a junior firefighter at Miller’s Ferry. Monroe died on March 7, 2008, while battling a fire at Salisbury Millwork.

Monroe, 19, and fellow firefighter Victor Isler, 40, became trapped inside the mill along with Capt. Rick Barkley, who was burned but was brought out by a rescue crew.

Monroe was a firefighter with the city of Salisbury, as well as a volunteer with the Spencer Fire Department and a member of the Miller’s Ferry Fire Department. He was instrumental in bringing the idea for the Junior Firefighter Muster to life, said organizer Jessica Womble.

Womble is a Miller’s Ferry firefighter, a member of its auxiliary and an emergency medical technician.

Nine teams are expected to attend from as far as Cass County, Texas; Virginia; South Carolina; and North Carolina. They will participate in obstacles to test their skills including the firefighter challenge. The challenge has five obstacles including pulling a hose, using a hose to knock down a cone, running through a tube and pulling a 150-pound dummy.

Any team that still wants to register must do so at 7 a.m. Saturday before the start of the competition. The cost to participate is $75 for a team of at least five junior firefighters.

A lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs will be served with proceeds that benefit the Miller’s Ferry junior firefighter program.

Trophies will be given to overall winners, and the Headache Award will be given to the team that tries the hardest. The team that comes in first place will win $750, second place will earn $500 and the third-place team will receive $250.

Organizers will also raffle a Henry Golden Boy rifle to benefit the fire department’s junior firefighter program. Raffle tickets are $10 each.

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.