EL firefighter candidates test their endurance
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EAST LIVERPOOL -- The job of a firefighter is physically demanding. So most departments want to make sure that a candidate has the agility and endurance to do the job.
As the next step in the hiring practices to become a paid firefighter in the city of East Liverpool, the Civil Service Commission held a physical agility test for its probationary firefighter candidates Thursday morning outside Central Fire Station.
According to commission member Sherrie Curtis the six members --who had passed the commission's written exam earlier this month --were invited to participate in the 10-station course.
"(This test) is designed to test an applicant's physical ability to perform tasks often encountered in the fire service. The tests do not require any advance training nor any special skills (but) designed to eliminate any applicant who would be physically unable to handle the position of a firefighter," Fire Chief Bill Jones said. "A person unable to pass these tests would be placing themselves, their fellow workers and the general public in undue danger."
Applicants were asked to come wearing loose fitting clothing, sneakers, leather gloves and drinking sport drinks, soft drinks or water. Jones asked that energy drinks not be consumed or bought to the testing site. Each candidate was given up to 10 minutes in between every three stations.
Stations include the jump --meant to determine coordination --along with sit ups; victim rescue, ladder lift and stair climb.
At one event, candidates would carry a rolled section of 3-inch hose while walking the length of a 20-foot beam, 3 1/2 inches wide, without losing their balance, turning around and walking back. All while wearing a SCBA harness with a tank.
One other station required a candidate to drag a victim, a mannequin named Rescue Randy, the distance of 50 feet then around an obstacle and back to the starting place while crawling to stimulate the rescue of a person from a smoke-filled building.
For the ladder climb, for example, candidates were asked to climb to the top of a full extended ladder on an aerial truck at an angle of 50 degrees, hook a life belt on the top rung and look down. Jones said that while not timed, it must be completed without undue hesitation. "This event is to determine fear of heights, you will not be graded on your climbing ability, and the proper climbing procedure will be taught should you be hired."
Passage of the ladder club was mandatory, as "fear of heights would severely limit a firefighter's effectiveness," Jones added. The ladder is about 75-feet long hen fully extended at an angle on an aerial truck in the parking lot across from the fire station.
One of the toughest stations of the day appeared to be the hose advance. Candidates attempted to advance a fully-charged (with water) 100-foot hose from its source the full distance of the fire station bay, while wearing his coat and a SCBA harness with tank. "This test is to determine stamina. No time limit will be put on the event, but the candidate may not stop once the test starts," the station directions read.
The weight of the fully charged hose would exceed 275 lbs., according to industry experts.
Not everyone cleared the hose advance station, which like the others, awarded a maximum of 10 points. However, a candidate could earn a maximum of 100 points with none of the 50 bonus points.
The East Liverpool fire chief said that the department will be hiring one member after conducting interviews following the physical agility portion. That physical portion provides crucial insight into the individual candidates. "We watch how well they perform or struggle and then (conduct) interviews," Jones said. "It all factors in."