OVERVIEW OF THE CANDIDATE PHYSICAL ABILITY TEST By Assistant Deputy Chief Tom Siragusa

Created in Partnership by the International Associations of Firefighters and International Association of Fire Chiefs A Task Force was created to develop, validate, and assist fire departments with the implementation of a Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) that would enable them to hire inherently physically capable fire fighters

Departments Participating in the CPAT Development Austin FD Calgary FD Charlotte FD Fairfax County FD Indianapolis FD Los Angeles County FD Miami Dade FD New York City FD Phoenix FD Seattle FD

CPAT Mission Statement To develop an instrument to assess the ability & skills of uniformed personnel to successfully accomplish defined fire ground / emergency tasks To define sequential fire ground / emergency tasks typically occurring as part of the first response of fire companies To define evaluation criteria that emphasize safety & utilize practical effectiveness and efficiency To develop evaluation criteria that would be used as part of the assessment of the team and the team member in company assignments

CPAT Developed to allow FD’s to obtain pools of trainable candidates who are physically able to perform essential job tasks at fire scenes Is a Pass / Fail test based on a validated maximum total time of 10 minutes 20 seconds

SUMMARY OF THE H-2 FIREFIGHTER CPAT (August 24-28, 2002) WHITEBLACKHISPANICASIANFILIPINOAMER INDIANTOTALS GRAN D Male Femal eMale Femal eMale Femal eMale Femal eMale Femal eMale Femal eMale Femal eUnk TOTA L INVITED %5.17% 4.98 %1.34% %1.34% %1.15%7.47%0.57% 0.19% %9.77% 3.64 %100% NO SHOW % % 7.14 %0.00% %0.00% % % 7.14 %100% WAIVED % % 0.00 % %0.00% %0.00% %0.00% % % 0.00 %100% ATTENDED %4.39% 4.99 %1.20% %1.40% %1.20%7.58%0.60% 0.20% %8.98% 3.59 %100% FAILED % % 5.56 % 8.33%9.72%5.56% 2.78%4.17% 0.00 %1.39% % % 1.39 %100% PASSED %1.17% 4.90 %0.47% %0.00% %0.47%8.39%0.00% 0.70 %0.00% %2.10% 3.96 %100%

H-2 FIREFIGHTER: Candidates' Availability Status (List E-35) PASSEDPASSED PAT / NOT PASSEDWAIVED PAT & BKGRDBKGRD HOLDBKGRD & MEDMED HOLDPAT*PATTOTAL Females White African American Hispanic Asian Filipino Native American SUBTOTAL Males White African American Hispanic Asian Filipino Native American Unknown SUBTOTAL TOTAL *NOTE: one white male was not invited to the August 2002 CPAT pending his appeal; appeal was granted

CPAT Events Made up of the following 8 events; Stair Climb Stair Climb Hose Drag Hose Drag Equipment Carry Equipment Carry 24 Foot Ladder Raise & Ladder Fly Extension 24 Foot Ladder Raise & Ladder Fly Extension Forcible Entry Forcible Entry Search Search Rescue Rescue Ceiling Breach & Pull Ceiling Breach & Pull

CPAT Event #1 Stair Climb - Simulate the critical tasks of climbing stairs in full protective clothing while carrying a high-rise pack (hose bundle) and climbing stairs in full protective clothing carrying FF equipment Simulate the critical tasks of climbing stairs in full protective clothing while carrying a high-rise pack (hose bundle) and climbing stairs in full protective clothing carrying FF equipment 3 minutes on StepMill at 60 steps per minute would equal a climb of 120 feet or 10 to 12 building stories 75 pound weight simulates the weight of full PPE, SCBA and High-rise hose bundle or other fire equipment

Stair Climb

CPAT Event #2 Hose Drag - Simulate the critical tasks of dragging an uncharged hose line from the fire apparatus to the fire occupancy and pulling an uncharged hoseline around obstacles while stationary 200’ of 1-3/4” hose is dragged 75 feet to a drum, around the drum 90 degrees and then an additional 25 feet. The candidate then turns, kneels and pulls 50 feet of hose towards them 200’ of 1-3/4” hose is dragged 75 feet to a drum, around the drum 90 degrees and then an additional 25 feet. The candidate then turns, kneels and pulls 50 feet of hose towards them

Hose Drag

CPAT Event #3 Equipment Carry - Simulate the critical tasks of removing power tools from a fire apparatus, carrying them to the emergency scene and returning them to the fire apparatus Simulate the critical tasks of removing power tools from a fire apparatus, carrying them to the emergency scene and returning them to the fire apparatus Chain & Circular (XL98) saws approximately 25 pounds each are removed from a cabinet one at a time and carried in each hand 75 feet around a drum and return 75 feet for a total of 150 feet. Upon return to the start area, the saws are placed on the ground and returned one at a time to the storage cabinet

Equipment Carry

CPAT Event #4 24 Foot Ladder Raise & Ladder Fly Extension Simulate the critical tasks of placing a ground ladder at a fire structure and extending the ladder to the roof or window Simulate the critical tasks of placing a ground ladder at a fire structure and extending the ladder to the roof or window Raise a 24-foot extension ladder (approximately 100 pounds) from horizontal to a vertical position Extend and retract the fly section of a 24-foot extension ladder

24 Foot Ladder Raise & Ladder Fly Extension

CPAT Event #5 Forcible Entry Simulate the critical tasks of using force to open a locked door or to breach a wall Simulate the critical tasks of using force to open a locked door or to breach a wall Candidate uses a 10-pound sledgehammer to strike a measuring device in a target area until a buzzer signal is activated

Forcible Entry

CPAT Event #6 Search Simulate the critical task of searching for a fire victim with limited visibility in an unpredictable area Simulate the critical task of searching for a fire victim with limited visibility in an unpredictable area Candidate crawls on hands and knees through a tunnel maze approximately 3 feet high, 4 feet wide and 64 feet in length with two 90 degree turns. At a number of locations the candidate will be navigating around, over, and under obstacles and an area of reduced space.

Search

CPAT Event #7 Rescue Rescue Simulate the critical task of removing a victim or injured partner from a fire scene Simulate the critical task of removing a victim or injured partner from a fire scene Candidate grasps a 165 pound mannequin by handle(s) on the shoulder(s) of the harness and drags it 35 feet to a pre-positioned drum, makes a 180 degree turn around the drum and continues an additional 35 feet bringing the mannequin completely across the finish line. The candidate is permitted to drop and release the mannequin and adjust the grip The 165 pound mannequin weight was determined by the average weight of people admitted to hospital emergency rooms & average weight of firefighters participating The 165 pound mannequin weight was determined by the average weight of people admitted to hospital emergency rooms & average weight of firefighters participating

Rescue

CPAT Event #8 Ceiling Breach & Pull Ceiling Breach & Pull Simulate the critical task of breaching and pulling down a ceiling to check for fire extension Simulate the critical task of breaching and pulling down a ceiling to check for fire extension Candidate uses pike pole to push up 60-pound hinged door 3 times Reposition pole and pull 80-pound ceiling device downward 5 times for one complete cycle Repeat cycle 4 times

Ceiling Breach & Pull

CPAT Forms CPAT Forms consisting of: Sign-in sheet Sign-in sheet Waiver of Claim of Injury Waiver of Claim of Injury Test Evaluation Form Test Evaluation Form Rehabilitation Form Rehabilitation Form

CPAT Candidate Prep Guide Prepared to assist a candidate with physically preparing for the test. Describes physical fitness as to the Fire Service Describes physical fitness as to the Fire Service Describes the major areas of fitness & general principles of exercise Describes the major areas of fitness & general principles of exercise Provides description of strength training for candidate Provides description of strength training for candidate Provides description of supplemental task-specific exercise training Provides description of supplemental task-specific exercise training Provides Strength Training log sheets Provides Strength Training log sheets

CPAT Administration Recommendations: Candidate be notified at least 8-weeks prior to test Candidate be notified at least 8-weeks prior to test Venue - Must be consistent for all candidates Venue - Must be consistent for all candidates Floor surface must be similar to the validated test and must not give any candidate an unfair advantage or disadvantage Venue must have enough space to accommodate - Venue must have enough space to accommodate - Check-in / Staging Testing TestingRehabilitation Proctors needed (minimum) for test events Proctors needed (minimum) for test events 1 lead for each candidate 11 event proctors distributed for the 8 events

Cost of CPAT Equipment Approximately $50,000 for: Test props including shipping Test props including shipping Proctor Training Proctor Training Course Validation Course Validation Equipment Trailer Equipment Trailer

THE END CPAT