Fire Fighter Preparation

Considering I'm already living in Edmonton, it'd make sense that if I were to apply to become a police officer (or most any other job for that matter) I'd apply in Edmonton first. Also, up until they changed the fitness test, Edmonton had the most difficult police fitness test in Canada (in part because they include the RCMP fitness test in addition to their own), if not North America. So if you were competive with that test, you'd probably smoke any other test.

across the bridge from me in Surrey they have the POPAT setup at a small community centre/gym. its a $1.00 drop in charge to run through it. i think the fitness test is ridiculous personally. a short run, running up and down some stairs, a few burpees and then dragging 100 something pounds? seriously?
 
across the bridge from me in Surrey they have the POPAT setup at a small community centre/gym. its a $1.00 drop in charge to run through it. i think the fitness test is ridiculous personally. a short run, running up and down some stairs, a few burpees and then dragging 100 something pounds? seriously?

First, just passing the test is only the beginning. It's also whether or not your time is competive. Second, up until a couple years ago, that was only part of the edmonton police physical. Before, the minimums to pass (not to be competive) were

1) VO2max of 37 ml O2/kg
2) Lower body anaerobic power of 10.8 watts/kg (measured on a ergometer)
3) Upper body anaerobic power if 5.5 watts/kg (measured on a ergometer)
4) Fatigue ratio 2.9 (compares the peak power during the anaerobic test to the lowest amount
5) Body Composition of maximum 19% bodyfat (measured by skinfold calipers)
6) 9 chin-ups, each from full extension
7) 15 dips, down to 90 degrees
8) 34 curl-ups
9) Obstacle Course 2 minutes, 35 seconds (unfortunately I can't find the details of what the obstacle course consisted of)

And, in addition to that, the PARE/POPAT test. So a fairly thorough test. Certainly something that anybody who trains intelligently should be able to do, but it is a harder test than any other Police fitness test I've seen. Unfortunately, their testing is now more in line with the rest of Canada. Which, while being more "scientific", is less rigorous.
 
How to be a firefighter:

A:
1. Learn to master the hulahoop squat
2. Make sure that all of your romantic interests are dykes
3. Train your solo football muscles
4. Sprinkle in the occaisional alcohol related arrest

B:
1. Eat Paleo, not Xtrainer Paleo, real motherfucking Paleo
2. Be pretty old

I lulzed at this post.
 
I'm sorry ... did you say the CPAT is a "pretty rough test"? I'm just not sure I read that correctly ...

Apparently I did ... If you think the CPAT is pretty rough, then you've got a long way to go my friend. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm being god-awful honest. The CPAT is, in my opinion, a joke. However, it serves it's purpose ... a base-level fitness test standardized so departments and districts need not spend the time nor man-power holding their own.

You are allowed to take a practice day, so if the CPAT is worrying you that much DO IT! You'll know right away whether you can pass it or not, and what you're weak on. Most folks I know struggle on the stair portion. So, get at least a 75# weight vest and hit the stair-mill, or find a high-rise in your town and hit their stair-well, or go to the Lyon Street stairs in SF or Baker Beach in SF. Keep your balance and go, hold dumbbells too to add the blood rushing to your arms and make it harder, simulate carrying tools and shit up those stairs, just make it harder than the CPAT and the CPAT won't be shit.

The hose drag is the only portion you can run, so fucking run, it's only like 50 feet or something, start making friends in the Fire Service and get yourself some decommissioned hose, I've got two sticks of 2.5inch, you can attach a weight to the end to simulate more length. Sprint 100 feet with that shit then drag it to you, once done fucking do it again. Oh yeah, keep wearing that vest too. Want to make it more interesting? Like I said, make them friends in the fire service and get yourself a SCBA mask and wear that shit while you do this (not attached to an air tank), limit your available oxygen. Don't have access to an old BA mask? Use a snorkel (Wanderlei Silva anyone?) If you use a tire or someshit to simulate the drag, keep dumbbells at the end and do those pushup row things until you can't anymore, then get up and pull the fucking tire again. That fire isn't going to wait for you to catch your fucking breath, so don't.

Are you afraid of the dark? Get disoriented when you can't see? work on that shit. A lot of people panic in the confined space portion, even though it's shaped like a U. Two right turns and you're done. Close your eyes and crawl from your front door to the farthest point in the house, using the wall as a landmark ... oh, too hard? too much shit in your way? welcome to search and rescue. Learn how to orient yourself by feel so you don't get lost in a U shaped box ....

The dummy drag can be awkward for people. It's different than dragging a sled, you don't get to put your body in that nice powerful position and go. You can grab on with two hands and drag backwards or you can grab with one a go forwards. If you've got a training partner drag each other backwards not by bear hugging them under their arms but keeping your arms locked at 90degree angle like you're about to do a *cough* a curl, and drag them that way and they mustn't help you. Otherwise get a harness of sorts, use a heavybag, attach extra weight somehow and pull it with one arm going forward. Assuming you don't have the 600+ dollars for a weighted mannequin.

Sprint your ass off. Fuck long distance cardio. It won't do shit for you as a firefighter. Fighting a fire is like an all out sprint, not a slow cool jog. Sprint hills, sprint straights, sprint til you puke, and sprint some more.

Now that you have a goal, all this training here is nothing. When you try to convince yourself to quit while you're crawling up that seventh flight of stairs with 75+ pounds addition to your body, or when your on the verge of puking sprinting up that hill, or when body is so tired all you want to do is sleep while you're dragging hose, remind yourself why you're there .... why you're doing this.


Excellent advice, thanks a lot. I looked at the video of the test and it looks quite manageable. I work out religously, so I'm in great shape. I really just need to up the cardio and I'll be alright. I neglect cardio more than I should because I don't train kickboxing anymore. So I take the get bigger by lifting weights and doing less cardio to look intimidating because I can't fight as well anymore approach.
 
So assuming it's the CPAT test;

(1) It would be a good idea to get a weighted vest, with the weight ranging from 50-75lbs. Since all of the testing is done with one, it would be a good idea to incorporate when reasonable.

(2) Since the stair climb is one of the events, at least some of your cardio should be climbing/running stairs. Wearing the weighted vest if possible, working up to 75lbs. Also working around 3 minute intervals. Sometimes shorter harder intervals. Sometimes longer.

(3) I think the hose drag & rescue events could be trained with sled work. Try and get access to a weight sled. Work on pulling it in ways similar to these two tests. If possible wear a 50lb weight vest during this, and work up to pulling a weight around 160lbs if not greater.

(4) Farmer's walks to simulate the tool carry. Also while wearing a 50lb weighted vest. Although how much this is necessary depends on the weight of the tools (which would be good to know).

(5) The forcible entry could be simulated by swinging a sledgehammer against a tire. You could do this with the weight vest, just to get a feel for it, but I don't think it's necessary to do so regularly. Swinging a sledgehammer can also be good conditioning. Although keep in mind this test measures power, not endurance.

(6) I think the ceiling breach and pull would be hard to simulate for training purposes. But working chins and overhead presses hard should pay off. Also, before taking the test, use google, or ask someone who might know if there's a good technique to use.

So this means, first, include stairclimbing at least some of the time as cardio, done on days you don't lift. Use sled drags, sledgehammer swings, and possibly farmer's walks as finishers on days you do lift. Follow a basic lifting program as mentioned earlier.

Also keep in mind; some fitness tests are graded purely on a pass-fail basis. That means that someone who barely passes is just as good as someone who smokes it. But if it's not a pass-fail basis, then the test describes the bare minimum of what's required. I don't know of a firefighting example, so I'll use a police one: The Edmonton police physical used to have a requirment of 9 chin-ups for men, however to actually be competive and make it past the stage of the application process the minimum was more like 22. So being able to complete the physical may well just be the beginning.

Also, eat more. Another 15-20lbs would make a big difference.

Yeah this test is pass/fail. I'm hoping it knocks out some of the competition. I do all the meat and potatoes exercise, military press, deadlift, etc. so I think that should be good for most of the strength requirements. As for eating more, I have pasta boiling the other room as I type this. You give good advice, thanks for taking the time to reply.
 
Thanks for all the great replies everybody. I'll post regarding whether or not I pass after I take the test.
 
Barrigan: [after they lose the rugby match to the firemen and Sullivan stares longingly at the statehouse] What? Look, forget about it. Your old man was a janitor and his son's only a cop.
Colin Sullivan: Fucking firefighters are bunch of homos.
[they both laugh]
Colin Sullivan: They are!
 
Barrigan: [after they lose the rugby match to the firemen and Sullivan stares longingly at the statehouse] What? Look, forget about it. Your old man was a janitor and his son's only a cop.
Colin Sullivan: Fahking fahfattahs ah abuncha homos.
[they both laugh]
Colin Sullivan: They ah!

changed to accurately reflect accents
 
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