The three-day event commenced with the discipline and marching competition on Saturday morning.

Bendigo District Fire Brigade Championships committee member Wayne Pattison said crews from all across Victoria were in Bendigo for the event with Marysville and Kangaroo Flat considered the teams to beat.

"Teams are split into two classes, based on their ability," he said.

"In this competition the A class are better performers on the track but there's more B class brigades here which is good because we're trying to encourage more teas to get involved.

"Harvey from Western Australia and Wyong from New South Wales are the only interstate teams. The rest are from all over Victoria."

Mr Pattison said there was a push to see more teams enter the championships with some brigades unable to field teams.

"The size of the town never matters, a lot of the very good brigades are from little towns," he said.

"(Team numbers) have dropped off, there's no doubt about that. The CFA is pushing hard on volunteerism and putting a big effort into getting more brigades involved.

"Golden Square and Bendigo have combined to compete here. They did last year as well just to get people involved.

The two brigades are strong, it's just the competition side that is suffering a bit. At least by combining they are able to compete."

Mr Pattison said while the competitions were entertaining, the skills are often applied to real-life situations for the firefighters.

"No doubt, what they learn here is firefighting skills," he said.

"The principles are identical. As well as the athletic events we have three truck events that show the finesse in using the trucks."

The Torchlight Process held on Saturday night is also a highlight for the brigades.

"The City of Greater Bendigo has been fantastic to us and helped with the Torchlight, which is a highlight for us.

"We are lining up in Vahland Place (to begin), which is where fist competition was held in 1875."

The Urban Senior State Fire Brigade Championships at the RF Turner Track in Napier Street are on until Monday.

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