Testing Physical Limits

Being a firefighter is not a walk in the park and so does the training. We trust firefighters with our lives in the most dangerous situations that can happen (fires and more) so it is only fitting that they need to be prepared physically, mentally and emotionally. 

Here they undergo several firefighter physical agility exam in their quest to become a firefighter. One test is the 

Firefighter Physical Ability Test. 

Stair climb 

This is a simulation of stair climbing while carrying equipment, a regular activity of fire fighters in a fire. The candidate will be required to make six trips up and down one flight of stairs shuttling one of equipment at a time at every climb. 

They are then required to return the six pieces of equipment to their starting points. 

Ladder event 

This event simulates many activities related to the use of ladders. The examinees are required to remove ladder from a rack, carry it for some distance, and raise a weight of approximately45 pounds attached to a rope. 

The weight is lowered and the ladder is returned to the rack. This event simulates various activities related to using ladders. 

House drag /advance 

The manipulation is about a fully-charge fire hose. The candidate is required to pull 50 feet of hose while in a stationary position. There will be a ceiling on the U-shaped course to keep candidates from standing straight. 

The candidate is then required to straighten out the hose to reset then event. 

Forcible entry 

This simulates the breaking down of a door to gain entrance to a burning structure or an incident scene. The examinee is required to strike a rubber pad mounted on a moveable post. He will use a 12-pound sledgehammer to move the post to a set distance. 

The post and the structure are then weighed to simulate the force needed to exert on a door in order to gain entrance. 

Search 

This is a simulation of the actions necessary to enter and search a smoke-filled structure. The examinee will crawl through a wooden tunnel 65 feet long, 4 feet high and 4 feet wide with obstructions and turns. 

There is an obstacle on the floor, another one is from the ceiling and at another one, and finally the obstacle is on each side. 

Rescue 

In this one, the actions necessary is to drag an “unconscious victim” (weighted 120-pound bag) from a burning building to a place of safety along 30 feet of zigzag course. 

There is a low ceiling over the course to prevent the candidate from standing upright. The time limit for the event is 32.2 seconds. 

Ceiling hook 

This one simulates the use of a pike pole on the ceiling hook. The poke is a firefighting tool used to tear down ceilings or open walls looking for hidden fires. The first part is to thrust the pike pole into a metal plate in an 8-foot ceiling. 

The plate (weighing around 60 pounds) must be lifted approximately six inches in order for the strike to count (score). The next part is to pull the pole down six inches. Only completed sequences will count.

Firefighters’ Agility

One of the heavy duties that a person could ever experience is becoming a firefighter. It is one of the jobs that are in a topmost rewarding career for an individual to have. We can also assume that a hero is living in every firefighter who can save lives and property and always ready to sacrifice for the call of duty. How big the word is, that is because we know the reality of what they do and anything that they can do just to satisfy and fully accomplished their call of duty. This is a position of endless helping others. Whether rescuing people from a flaming building, attending for medical needs, exterminating fires in a home or in large mercantile building, this profession is all about helping the people, especially those in need. This profession is demanding a strong dedication and professionalism for those who chose it as a career. They must possess the courage to do everything and stamina to risk their lives for the sake of others. Those who want to be a certified firefighter must undergo long learning assessment and extensive periods of training to become effective and efficient professional firefighters. There are lots of preparation for examination or test that an individual has to do and one of these is the Physical Agility preparation. This Physical Agility preparation is the majority part of the examination for the position of a firefighter for the profession requires a quick response in both movements, thinking, and understanding.

It is important for every firefighter when it comes to physical aspect because this is a kind of very demanding occupation not only by time demand but most especially man force such for saving lives and property, opposing the challenge of the environment, and also the weight and constraint of the protective equipment. It is a must that the recruited firefighters are physically fit and capable of performing tasks and learning firefighter’s encyclopedia. As part of making the body well-constructed and always on the run of the firefighter's tasks, there are workouts that a firefighter has always do.

One of the important workouts is lung strength and capacity. People might seem so fit enough to take the tasks, but the question is do they can build up their wind endurance? Since the tasks are exposed to the smokey areas where if there is a smoke, there is a fire. If an individual had a lack of wind, it immediately drains the body's strength and that is perfect for the agility test. In the agility test, the performance is in short duration, but it is an all-out effort, so it requires strong lungs for the proper performance. It is important for the firefighter physical agility exam to have an emphasis on the preparation for the lung training. One best way to have it is by wind sprints which will increase the endurance. In the sprints process, make sure that the body can make up another ten more yards in every completed number of yards. In this training, the endurance really builds up in your chest, triceps, biceps, back, and legs.  There are some training tips like many times, a firefighter is required to wear a vest and for simulation is get a bag of sand and bring it on the backpack and wear it while running stairs. Running stairs is also a preparation, train in the gym, and before any action for preparation is do not forget to warm up the body and then cool down after all the training preparation.