[Decided this should maybe go into a new thread. . . Continued from BOB thread]
cardimon writes:
"I would think about joining them more seriously if I were built more, shall we say, substantially. I'm not fragile, but at 5-foot-10-inches and 140 pounds, it seems most fightfighting gear would easily outweigh me. . . ."
Don't worry about being light. When I was in a very active department, there were women who barely topped 100 lbs that could outwork a lot of us guys. Cardio is the important part.
Generally there is some sort of a physical test that centers around doing fire department activities. You can get firefighter civil service exam preparation manuals from, e.g. Barron's, at most book stores. Those outline basic types of physical tests, but usually err on the rough side, so don't let them scare you off.
Anyway, typical tasks are to wear an air tank and bunker coat while doing things like
- climb a ladder to 35 ft (can't be afear'd of heights)
- drag a weighted tire 100 ft by a rope (this can be hard with a heavy tire)
- carry a 75-lb object 100 ft
- crawl through a mock attic blindfolded (can't be afear'd of dark spaces either)
- run a mile (no tank or coat)
So it isn't too bad in small departments, and most of it isn't really a strength thing.
When I was testing actively in competitive departments for paid positions (as in ~5000 applicants for ~50 positions), I trained by exercizing with a 30- to 40-lb backpack on. Most air tanks are something like 25lbs.
Even if you don't do the firefighter bit, they are usually happy to have people who will do medical and rescue. You can still do lots of things, like all sorts of (non-fire) rescue, aid calls, and wrecks. Plus, someone is always needed to drive rigs and operate the pumps, lights, radios, etc. You can still get lots of fire training, because everyone has to know about everyone else's job.
Scott
cardimon writes:
"I would think about joining them more seriously if I were built more, shall we say, substantially. I'm not fragile, but at 5-foot-10-inches and 140 pounds, it seems most fightfighting gear would easily outweigh me. . . ."
Don't worry about being light. When I was in a very active department, there were women who barely topped 100 lbs that could outwork a lot of us guys. Cardio is the important part.
Generally there is some sort of a physical test that centers around doing fire department activities. You can get firefighter civil service exam preparation manuals from, e.g. Barron's, at most book stores. Those outline basic types of physical tests, but usually err on the rough side, so don't let them scare you off.
Anyway, typical tasks are to wear an air tank and bunker coat while doing things like
- climb a ladder to 35 ft (can't be afear'd of heights)
- drag a weighted tire 100 ft by a rope (this can be hard with a heavy tire)
- carry a 75-lb object 100 ft
- crawl through a mock attic blindfolded (can't be afear'd of dark spaces either)
- run a mile (no tank or coat)
So it isn't too bad in small departments, and most of it isn't really a strength thing.
When I was testing actively in competitive departments for paid positions (as in ~5000 applicants for ~50 positions), I trained by exercizing with a 30- to 40-lb backpack on. Most air tanks are something like 25lbs.
Even if you don't do the firefighter bit, they are usually happy to have people who will do medical and rescue. You can still do lots of things, like all sorts of (non-fire) rescue, aid calls, and wrecks. Plus, someone is always needed to drive rigs and operate the pumps, lights, radios, etc. You can still get lots of fire training, because everyone has to know about everyone else's job.
Scott