Murfreesboro Fire & Rescue Department's Cooking with Fire "smoked" the competition at the 3rd Annual "Backyard BBQ Festival" on Saturday at Cannonsburgh Village. The team placed first in the First Responder Division and took 13th overall out of thirty professional and amateur competitors.

The event, sponsored by the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club (MBRC), was one of the featured events at the 39th Annual Pioneer Days.

Team leaders, Captain/Shift Inspector Nora Smith and Firefighter Sean Wheeler, received assistance from Firefighters John Flynt and James Jones. This was the first competition for the team members, who are all stationed at MFRD Headquarters on A-Shift.

Cooking with Fire submitted entries in both the rib and chicken competition. They placed 12th in the chicken event and 15th in ribs.

"This was an awesome experience," said Wheeler. "We are actually looking to build a team for future events."

The team received an award for winning the First Responder Division and a grill donated by Councilmember and MBRC Board Member Madelyn Scales Harris.