BALLARAT firefighters Emily Hayes and Brent Clayton are used to climbing up ladders and sliding down poles, but doing it in ostrich costumes was definitely a change of scenery. Channel Ten’s It’s a Knockout saw the CFA workers competing against teams from New South Wales Ambulance Service and Queesland Life Savers.“In a lot of the games we excelled in anything that was teamwork based, that’s where firefighters in particular were really strong,” Ms Hayes said. Ballarat’s first female firefighter said the overall experience was pretty out there and very competitive.“It was a good atmosphere to be in and you were continuously pushing yourself,” she said.An application process and audition day saw the pair selected to take part in the competition in Malaysia, an opportunity which Mr Clayton said was not one to pass up.“Getting to go overseas and hang out with a bunch of new friends is pretty unique,” he said. The show has an upbeat and party-like atmoshphere with many laughs, one being Mr Clayton himself.“Brent Clayton as the joker had every single person on the show entertained,” Ms Hayes said. “We even heard that HG Nelson was a very big fan of his.”