I had the heat, the desire and ambition, to become a firefighter. I also had the support and love of my family, the oxygen, that I needed to start this fire. However, I was unsure if I had the strength, stamina, and mental fortitude in order to pass the Candidate Physical Abilities Test (CPAT) in 10:20. Did I have the fuel it takes to even get into the Fire Service? Did I have the right tools to ignite this fire? The answer was, "No."
Despite being out of shape I had decided to submit my application for the West Des Moines Fire Department. My application submission was quite the task to navigate, but I had a lot of help from the City of West Des Moines Human Resources Department. Never be afraid to ask questions! I was informed that I had 4 CPAT practice tests and one final test. Now it was time to find out what this physical test required. I watched this video and realized that now I needed to train!
What is the CPAT? 8 individual exercises including: 1. Step Mill - 3:00 minutes on a stair machine at 1 step per second - 180 steps - wearing a 50 pound weighted vest with an extra 25 pounds on your shoulders. You must balance yourself the entire time without touching the hand-rail. 2. Hose Drag - Run 75 feet with 8 feet of hose draped over your shoulder, make a 90 degree turn, run 25 feet and kneel, then pull 50 feet of hose to you. 3. Equipment Carry - Remove 2 - 35 pound chainsaws from a cabinet, placing each on the ground, pick them both up and walk 75 feet around a drum and walk back to the starting point. 4. Ladder Raise and Extension - Lift a 24 foot extension ladder from the ground, rung by rung until raised against the wall. Extend the fly section of the ladder by pulling the halyard, hand over hand, then lower it back to the starting position. 5. Forcible Entry - Use a 10 pound sledge hammer and strike a target until the weight limit is breached and the buzzer sounds. 6. Search - Crawl through a 3 foot x 4 foot tunnel for 65 feet over/under/around obstacles and low ceilings making 2 90 degree turns. 7. Rescue - Pull a 165 pound mannequin 35 feet around a barrel and back to the starting point. 8. Ceiling breach and Pull - Using a Pike Pole push a 60 pound hinged door 3 times, then pull down an 80 pound weight 5 times. Repeat this 4 times. You must complete the entire test in 10:20.
<Here is my disclaimer: I am not a fitness trainer, dietitian, or physician. However, this information has helped me prepare for Fire Academy.>
Here are the key steps to preparing for this test:
1. Sleep! Your body can not function properly, repair and build muscle, or stay healthy without at least 8-9 hours of sleep. Trust me, you're going to need as much sleep as you can get.
2. Eat healthy! I eat a C.H.I.P. Vegan diet. Eating plant-based foods as grown helped me lose 57 pounds this year. It's not for everyone and it isn't easy. However, giving up meat, dairy, and sugar was the best thing I have ever done for my health.
3. Exercise! Start slow but keep going! Exercise itself can be difficult and easy to give up on if you get hurt. Start by walking, then walk further. Try Yoga. It is relaxing yet invigorating. Move at your own pace and stretch. Once you have some confidence with your body and regain some balance then challenge yourself. Try to just do 10 sit-ups, 10 push-ups, or a 1-mile jog. This is how I got my start and within 1 year I was able to pass the CPAT test - you can do it too!
In addition to rest, diet, and exercise I trained specifically for the CPAT by creating my own version! With some help from my friends and family I made my own CPAT test at a local elementary school. For the stairs I put 80 pounds of concrete blocks in a backpack and climbed the stairs. For the hose drag I bought a rope and placed a 30 pound hand weight at the end. For the equipment carry I just used 2 - 30 pound hand weights. For the Ladder Raise and Extension I just did 20 "ladder pulls". For the Forcible Entry I borrowed a sledgehammer and hit an old tire 10 times. For the search I marked out a course and crawled along the ground in the field. For the rescue I enlisted my son and pulled him across the field. This only worked once because I didn't want to hurt his knees. The rest of my practice sessions I just pulled my weights and backpack. For the ceiling breach and pull I used the sledge hammer and did 24 overhead raises. At each of these self-imposed practice sessions my family was there to cheer me on and time me.
After 3 months of training, 4 practice sessions, and a lot of sweat, it was time to strike the flint and steel and see if I had what it takes to be a firefighter. I took my final CPAT test and passed! It is a pass/fail test and a faster time is said to not have a selection benefit, however, I'm proud of my time 9:12:48!
Now that I had passed the CPAT test it was time to ignite the fire and begin FIRE ACADEMY!
Do you think you have what it takes to pass the CPAT? Have you passed the CPAT and have any tips to offer?
