I have something that concerns me and I have got to get this out. The other day I went to take a PT test to see if I could get on as a fulltime firefighter at a nearby county fire dept. I felt good when I got there.. Well they was useing this vest not sure how much the thing weighed?? But it was the heaveist thing I have ever put on in my life!! I have been in the fire service for 18 years and being in fullturnout gear with an SCBA on would not be as heavy as this vest!! I didnt even get halfway through the course until I went down , I gave out!! And to those of you who think I am a whimp , let me assure you I am not I am in good physical condition, besides being in the fire service for 18 years i have also worked and lived on on a farm so I am used to heavy work!! But this vest should not be used in the fire service , I wasnt the only one haveing trouble with it!! I am also a safety officer with the volunteer dept I am with and like I said fire gear and SCBA weighs less than this vest!! I know depts need the testing but use a firecoat and an SCBA with actual wieght not these vest!!!!!! The idea in new SCBA design and also fire gear design is to make it so it has less wieght on a firefighter than to add weight to them , the less weight you can place on a firefighter the better they can perform there jobs and reduce firefighter fatigue.. If you ask me this vest is just asking for a lawsuit!! If memebers want to use it to do weight traing in and then let them use it but dont make it a mandatory thing!!
I was asked if I wanted to go HazMat Tech, because I have a bachelor's degree in environmental biology, which includes chemistry. I passed because there are more appropriate courses I can take. Also we have a regional task force that includes HazMat which is fully staffed.
While we're on training, please explain what a 'state of georgia basic firefighter' is. I'm guessing it's NOT NFPA 1001. And why no FFII? Can't hack it?
Wait till he gets to the interview portion of the hiring process, if he every makes past the written and physical test. They will eat him alive with a attitude like that. I thought I was well prepared and ready for my interview and still bombed it.
if you now have a burn building, now is the best time to start training for the tests, start in normal workout clothes, run the steps, get your muscles and cardio ready for the test next time...
get a back pack and fill it with sand, start light and put more in as you feel up for it...
If your department doesn't think enough of training to find the funds to train their people then it's probably one of those "good enough" social clubs. Maybe that's why you couldn't pass the physical test, maybe you were good, but you were not good enough. Don't get mad, get better.