Ability testing

For you to earn the rank of firefighter, you must first prepare for the highly competitive examinations that mark the beginning of an increasingly difficult selection process. Today, this selection process also includes physical ability tests, medical qualification, and personal interviews before you can be placed on the list. The length of the process can vary from a few months to a few years before you can take the oath. For that reason, you must... 

Finally, don t forget to read Chapters 15 and 16, which cover the ins and outs of the Physical Ability Test and the oral interview. 

In most cases, there are far more applicants for each position than can be appointed. The selection process may be made up of an initial application, background checks, a written examination, an oral interview or board, a physical ability test, a drug screening, and psychological tests. Being informed and prepared will help you to remain confident through every stage of the process. 

Make a commitment now You need to work hard, in advance, to do well on the written exam, the physical ability test, and the oral interview (if there is one), so that your name will stand out at the top of your agency s eligibility list. 

A minimum age—sometimes this can be as low as 18, but 21 is the age that seems to be most common today. In some departments, there is a maximum age, but for the most part, these have been replaced by the requirements of physical ability tests and health. 

In most jurisdictions, taking a written exam is the next step in the application process, though in some cases the physical ability test comes first. 

The Candidate Physical Ability Test is the next step in the process for many fire departments some put this step first. You should expect to have a medical clearance, or at the very least sign a medical waiver stating that you are in good enough shape to undertake this stressful test, before you will be allowed to participate. The fire department wants to make sure that no one has a heart attack in the middle of the test. So, you can expect the test to be tough. 

Chapter 15 will give you a very detailed explanation of the Candidate Physical Ability Test. 

The exact events that make up the Candidate Physical Ability Test vary from place to place, but the tasks you have to perform are almost always job-related—they are a lot like the physical tasks you will actually have to perform as a firefighter. Some tests are set up as obstacle courses others consist of a group of stations. In some, you are timed from start to finish with no breaks others allow a break period between stations. The tests are timed. Your performance on the test is scored depending on that time. Often you have to wear full (heavy) protective gear, including an air pack, throughout these events. Here is an example of the events in a test that you would typically have ten minutes, 20 seconds to complete ... 

You can usually find out just what tasks are included in the Candidate Physical Ability Test from the exam announcement or related materials. 

The Candidate Physical Ability Test is one area where advance preparation is almost guaranteed to pay off. No matter how good the shape you are in, start an exercise program now. You can design your program... 

For more information on the physical ability test and how to prepare for it, see Chapter 15, The Candidate Physical Ability Test. ... 

Before passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), many fire departments conducted a medical examination early in the process, before the physical ability test. Now, the ADA says it is illegal to do any examinations or ask any questions that could reveal an applicant s disability until after a conditional offer of employment has been made. That means that in most jurisdictions you will get such a conditional offer before you are asked to submit to a medical exam. 

Exercise. Physical activity helps calm your body down and focus your mind, and as you know, being in top shape physically will be important on the Candidate Physical Ability Test. Go for a run, lift weights, go swimming—and do it regularly. 

Generally, you need a score of 70-80% on the written exam to pass. But just passing isn t likely to be enough to ensure that you will be called for the next steps in the process. Often, a score of 95% or higher is necessary to go on to the physical ability test. Once you take the physical test, your score on that test may be combined with your score on the written exam to determine your rank on the eligibility list. Or your written exam score alone may determine your rank on the list. So your goal should be to achieve the highest score you possibly can. 

As odd as these activities may seem, these are examples of how firefighting candidates can prepare for the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Fire departments around the country use the CPAT to determine whether candidates have the physical ability to be considered for the fire academy, which is where they learn firefighting tasks. Academy directors emphasize that all candidates must have high levels of strength and aerobic energy, or stamina. 

There is no doubt, the Candidate Physical Ability Test (also called Physical Agilities Test or Physical Performance Test) is a crucial step toward becoming a firefighter. Though the type of tests may vary somewhat from state to state and city to city, academy directors agree that the CPAT requires training, particularly for upper-body strength and stamina. 

The qualifying interview—also known as the screening interview—is the first, and sometimes the only, oral interview that fire departments use in their hiring process. By the time you are contacted to go through this interview, you will have completed your application form, you probably will have taken the written examination, and it is possible that you may have taken the Candidate Physical Ability Test. 

After curing, the Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) of the samples was measured by using a penetrometer. The reagent ratio that resulted in the desired UCS (1.5-2.5 tons/ft ) was utilized for further leach-ability testing. 

Motor ability tests focus on measures associated with motor control. The most common examples of motor tasks are finger tapping tests, tracking tests, and hand steadiness tests. 

The time to ignition as a function of incident radiant heat flux can also be measured in the ISO ignit-ability test apparatus. This apparatus and its use are described in ISO 5657. Bench-scale heat release calorimeters such as the Cone Calorimeter (Section 14.3.3.2.1) and the Fire Propagation Apparatus (Section 14.3.3.2.3) can also be used to obtain this kind of data. 

Individual difference measures are derived from various reaction time procedures (Hick s, S. Sternberg s and Posner s), and these correlate significantly with ability test scores (for a review see Neubauer 1997). 

There are individual differences in the efficiency of the early stages of visual and auditory processing that correlate significantly with mental ability test scores (for reviews see Deary Stough 1996, Deary 1999). 

Over a hundred studies examined aspects of the electroencephalogram and event-related potentials and there exist some modest associations between the brain s electrical responses and mental ability test scores (for reviews see Deary Caryl... 

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