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rsl12 · 11-20-2005, 08:18 PM

I passed the CPAT, which is a physical fitness test that's a prerequisite to taking the basic firefighting course at the academy. I was really nervous about this going in, and being the very first person (out of about 25 waiting) to take the test that day didn't help! My proctor must have seen I was nervous--he said, "the best thing you can do now is just stay calm." So I did. He quickly described how the course would work, then I got loaded up with the equipment (vest, gloves, hard hat) and got started!

The test consists of 8 events, and all must be completed in 10 minutes 20 seconds. The first event is a mandatory 3:20--after that, all other events can be performed as quickly as possible. Running is not allowed, though I was out of breath enough that running wasn't really a concern. The killer is that, throughout everything, you are wearing a weighted vest (50 lbs). I had done most of these events before in the practice sessions held a few weeks prior, but had never done things in sequence. For the last few weeks, I questioned whether I would have enough energy for the entire thing. I didn't stop questioning until the end of the test. Here are the 8 events:

1. With an extra 25 lbs on your shoulders (for a total of 75 lbs weight), go up a stairmaster machine at a speed of 1 step/second for 3:20. Although I've heard that lots of people have trouble with this, it was a breeze for me. My thighs are humongous! On the advice of a firefighter at my station, I spent most of this time saying the alphabet, one letter per step. I think that means I said the alphabet 7 times. I'm not sure saying the alphabet helped that much--try saying the alphabet 7 times, going one letter per second--it makes time feel like it goes forever!!. Anyways, my legs weren't at all wobbly at the end. They removed 25 lbs and I continued to the other events with the 50 lb vest.

2. Take an uncharged hose and run (running is allowed here) with the nozzle end over a little distance, then pull in a section of the hose with your arms from a kneeling position. In practice, we had been dragging a pretty heavy stretch of hose--in this real test, it was really light! I was glad, because my arms are pretty puny. I reminded myself not to drag it in too fast, and to pace myself, as this seemed to be my biggest problem in the practices.

3. Take 2 simulated pieces of equipment (2 saws, 30 lbs each) and walk them a little distance. Not much to say about this. Pretty easy. All this time, my legs are recovering from the stairs.

4. Take a ladder laying on the ground and lean it against the wall. Extend the ladder using the rope, and then bring it back down in a controlled fashion. Also not particularly difficult--some grip strength is necessary, though I used the advice of my training officer (given just 2 days before) to grab and twist the rope used for the extension, and that seemed to help. By the end of this, my legs were recovered from the stairs, and my arms were warming up.

5. Use a 10 lb sledgehammer to 'put in a nail into a wall', if you will. The nail, in this case, is a target maybe 6 inches in diameter. I've heard people can nail the thing in in 3 strokes. It took me 20!! In practice, I've done it in about 10. I guess I was more tired than I thought going into this, and still I had to tell myself, "don't bang it too hard--you have to save up for the rest." I also wonder if my aim wasn't very good--I might have missed the target for a number of those swings. It seemed to last forever--I was really wondering if the station was broken!! When I heard the alarm go off, signalling the end, I was realllly happy. Also, I was embarassed. And out of breath. And worried about time.

6. Go through a narrow dark tunnel. In the tunnel are some obstacles. I'd never done this event prior to test day. Being small was probably an advantage. Not once did I need to crawl on my belly, though I came close in some stretches. What surprised me more than anything was the claustrophobia that crept up on me--being out of breath in narrow confines, barely being able to see, and having to struggle to continue moving. I often have dreams about being in tight quarters--it was very much like this.

7. Take a 165-lb mannequin and drag him 100 feet or so. This event kicks my butt!! In practice, I figured the trick is to get as much of the mannequin off the ground so that he doesn't drag. This is hard to do if you're short--also, he's pretty wide around the chest, so you can't bear-hug him--you just have to pick him up by his handles (which are conveniently located at his shoulders! I'm guessing this simulates his shirt) and lift up as much as you can, and take short, staggering steps. It's a very awkward event. I barely got his hips off the ground. I think adrenaline was kicking in by this point--in practice, I had been quite exhausted 1/2 way though this event, even without all the other stuff beforehand--this time, I just kept saying "keep going ron" and I felt urgency much more than I felt exhaustion. The proctor looked a little concerned at the end of this event--he asked me, "are you alright?" I must have looked pretty bad. I was seriously out of breath.

8. Final event--take a pole and 'breach' a ceiling. Basically, this means placing a pole into a target (almost like a pole vault target in the 'ceiling') and pushing up three times the 60 lbs of weight that are attached to the target. Then you take the same pole and hook it into another target and pull down five times 80 lbs of weight attached to a lever. You do four sets of this push up/pull down. Not particularly hard, other than the fact that I was exhausted and wobbly, making it difficult to actually put the pole into the right place! Moreover, I was deathly scared of time running out during this event, which is almost certainly the longest event of the whole test, other than the stairs. So I wobbled frantically through it--I had to repeat a push or two because in my exhaustion I didn't push hard enough, and the targets were unpleasantly elusive in my nervous hands. I nearly dropped the pole twice. The fourth and last set was the hardest of course--I just kept telling myself, "Ron, 10 more seconds of pain is all you have to endure--if you don't do this, you have to wait until next year to try again!" So I finished, and I was in some pain. When I finished, the proctor said, "just put the pole down." I wondered if I had really made it in time--he had such a neutral tone. 30 seconds later, the proctor told me I had passed, and I was very happy! My time was 9:50--I had an extra 30 seconds, which at the time sounded like a very comfortable margin. Maybe it wasn't. It's pretty amazing that the entire test was only 10 minutes!

That was some test. 10 minutes decided whether I would be able to attend fire school this winter, or would have to wait until 2007 to try again. I'm glad I passed. I hadn't taken a physical fitness test since--middle school? Only a year ago, which is when I started volunteering at the fire station, I was in decidedly so-so shape. I'm glad to see I was able to get myself into some decent form. Hopefully I'll be able to keep improving!

11-20-2005, 08:18 PM	#1 (permalink)
rsl12 On the lam Location: northern va	My CPAT (the Candidate Physical Ability Test for firefighter candidates) I passed the CPAT, which is a physical fitness test that's a prerequisite to taking the basic firefighting course at the academy. I was really nervous about this going in, and being the very first person (out of about 25 waiting) to take the test that day didn't help! My proctor must have seen I was nervous--he said, "the best thing you can do now is just stay calm." So I did. He quickly described how the course would work, then I got loaded up with the equipment (vest, gloves, hard hat) and got started! The test consists of 8 events, and all must be completed in 10 minutes 20 seconds. The first event is a mandatory 3:20--after that, all other events can be performed as quickly as possible. Running is not allowed, though I was out of breath enough that running wasn't really a concern. The killer is that, throughout everything, you are wearing a weighted vest (50 lbs). I had done most of these events before in the practice sessions held a few weeks prior, but had never done things in sequence. For the last few weeks, I questioned whether I would have enough energy for the entire thing. I didn't stop questioning until the end of the test. Here are the 8 events: 1. With an extra 25 lbs on your shoulders (for a total of 75 lbs weight), go up a stairmaster machine at a speed of 1 step/second for 3:20. Although I've heard that lots of people have trouble with this, it was a breeze for me. My thighs are humongous! On the advice of a firefighter at my station, I spent most of this time saying the alphabet, one letter per step. I think that means I said the alphabet 7 times. I'm not sure saying the alphabet helped that much--try saying the alphabet 7 times, going one letter per second--it makes time feel like it goes forever!!. Anyways, my legs weren't at all wobbly at the end. They removed 25 lbs and I continued to the other events with the 50 lb vest. 2. Take an uncharged hose and run (running is allowed here) with the nozzle end over a little distance, then pull in a section of the hose with your arms from a kneeling position. In practice, we had been dragging a pretty heavy stretch of hose--in this real test, it was really light! I was glad, because my arms are pretty puny. I reminded myself not to drag it in too fast, and to pace myself, as this seemed to be my biggest problem in the practices. 3. Take 2 simulated pieces of equipment (2 saws, 30 lbs each) and walk them a little distance. Not much to say about this. Pretty easy. All this time, my legs are recovering from the stairs. 4. Take a ladder laying on the ground and lean it against the wall. Extend the ladder using the rope, and then bring it back down in a controlled fashion. Also not particularly difficult--some grip strength is necessary, though I used the advice of my training officer (given just 2 days before) to grab and twist the rope used for the extension, and that seemed to help. By the end of this, my legs were recovered from the stairs, and my arms were warming up. 5. Use a 10 lb sledgehammer to 'put in a nail into a wall', if you will. The nail, in this case, is a target maybe 6 inches in diameter. I've heard people can nail the thing in in 3 strokes. It took me 20!! In practice, I've done it in about 10. I guess I was more tired than I thought going into this, and still I had to tell myself, "don't bang it too hard--you have to save up for the rest." I also wonder if my aim wasn't very good--I might have missed the target for a number of those swings. It seemed to last forever--I was really wondering if the station was broken!! When I heard the alarm go off, signalling the end, I was realllly happy. Also, I was embarassed. And out of breath. And worried about time. 6. Go through a narrow dark tunnel. In the tunnel are some obstacles. I'd never done this event prior to test day. Being small was probably an advantage. Not once did I need to crawl on my belly, though I came close in some stretches. What surprised me more than anything was the claustrophobia that crept up on me--being out of breath in narrow confines, barely being able to see, and having to struggle to continue moving. I often have dreams about being in tight quarters--it was very much like this. 7. Take a 165-lb mannequin and drag him 100 feet or so. This event kicks my butt!! In practice, I figured the trick is to get as much of the mannequin off the ground so that he doesn't drag. This is hard to do if you're short--also, he's pretty wide around the chest, so you can't bear-hug him--you just have to pick him up by his handles (which are conveniently located at his shoulders! I'm guessing this simulates his shirt) and lift up as much as you can, and take short, staggering steps. It's a very awkward event. I barely got his hips off the ground. I think adrenaline was kicking in by this point--in practice, I had been quite exhausted 1/2 way though this event, even without all the other stuff beforehand--this time, I just kept saying "keep going ron" and I felt urgency much more than I felt exhaustion. The proctor looked a little concerned at the end of this event--he asked me, "are you alright?" I must have looked pretty bad. I was seriously out of breath. 8. Final event--take a pole and 'breach' a ceiling. Basically, this means placing a pole into a target (almost like a pole vault target in the 'ceiling') and pushing up three times the 60 lbs of weight that are attached to the target. Then you take the same pole and hook it into another target and pull down five times 80 lbs of weight attached to a lever. You do four sets of this push up/pull down. Not particularly hard, other than the fact that I was exhausted and wobbly, making it difficult to actually put the pole into the right place! Moreover, I was deathly scared of time running out during this event, which is almost certainly the longest event of the whole test, other than the stairs. So I wobbled frantically through it--I had to repeat a push or two because in my exhaustion I didn't push hard enough, and the targets were unpleasantly elusive in my nervous hands. I nearly dropped the pole twice. The fourth and last set was the hardest of course--I just kept telling myself, "Ron, 10 more seconds of pain is all you have to endure--if you don't do this, you have to wait until next year to try again!" So I finished, and I was in some pain. When I finished, the proctor said, "just put the pole down." I wondered if I had really made it in time--he had such a neutral tone. 30 seconds later, the proctor told me I had passed, and I was very happy! My time was 9:50--I had an extra 30 seconds, which at the time sounded like a very comfortable margin. Maybe it wasn't. It's pretty amazing that the entire test was only 10 minutes! That was some test. 10 minutes decided whether I would be able to attend fire school this winter, or would have to wait until 2007 to try again. I'm glad I passed. I hadn't taken a physical fitness test since--middle school? Only a year ago, which is when I started volunteering at the fire station, I was in decidedly so-so shape. I'm glad to see I was able to get myself into some decent form. Hopefully I'll be able to keep improving! __________________ oh baby oh baby, i like gravy.