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Weight vest for fire dept PT testing
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!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by T.J. on
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Wow thats crazy, I do train a couple times a week with an scba and turnout coat on, why not use the real thing but that vest sounds over rated.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Lintz on
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Vest should weigh approx 50 pounds... With an additional 25 during the stair climb if your doing the CPAT test
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Permalink Reply by Ricky Dale Maddox on
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The vest in my opion should not be used we dont wear them to fight fires so why wear them them during testing?? Use the real things that is meant to be used , turnout gear and scba !!!!
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Permalink Reply by Mick Shelley on
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Stick with you gear that you are going to test with, don't over do it.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin Dunbar on
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If you were taking the cpat test as previously stated, that test uses a weight vest of 50lbs and 75lbs for the stair climb. The point of all that weight is to simulate carrying highrise equipment ie. highrise bag, extra hose, tools and equipment up the stairs of 6 floor plus building and if you don't train on stairs with extra weight you will have a hard time with that test. The cpat test is a nationally used test that has been studied and is used by the largest departments in the US.
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I dont care it is not the same as fire gear and an scba , this vest should not be used at all , we dont use in our daily jobs as firefighters so we should not use it at all!! The high rise pack is not that heavy!!!! I done some more research , you are suppossed to start out at 10 lbs on the vest and increase the weight as you go along not just through it on someone and except them to go!!!! Also as for as high rises go the county does not have high rises so there is no need to train for high rise buildings in this area , I would see it if it had a high rise buliding , but keep things simple , too many mocho guys are getting in the fire service thinking they can do it all , when you need to keep things simple!!! The fire service should be a fun place not a place to trian until it kills you!! Again depts should be finding ways to reduce the load weight of firefighters even in high rise fires , it is caaled preplanning to come up with ways to reduce firefighter fatigue.. I know you have toi carry up hoses , etc in high rise fires , but wouldnt it make sense to tell the owner of high rise buildings to purchase fire hoses and keep these additional hoses in a place on every floor or a spaced out floors this would reduce the stuff that firefighters have to carry in the buildinds, and I dont mean buy the cheap hoses make a requirement that they have to be equal type the fire dept has on the trucks!! Make it a requirement , we set standards on fire sprinklers , etc so why not have a set standard for high rises when it comes to hoses , etc.. If they can afford to build these buildings and run them , then they should be able and required to keep all needed firefighting equiptment in the buildings!!
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Again this test is used by the biggest departments in the US, the justice department has signed off on this test as being fair and equal to all who take it. I don't know what research you did that says add 10lbs as you go, but does that happen at a fire? I have both taken and given this test, I have seen hundreds of applicants pass this test, and some do not. While you may not be a "whimp", as you put it, you may need to increase your cardiovascular fitness, being strong as a bull doesen't always equate to being fit.
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From what I have heard about the vest is that it's supposed to mimick the weight of your full PPE and other equipment you might carry on you shoulder, I.E. a high rise pack, a full length of crosslay, you know, things like that.
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Permalink Reply by DFD_Firefighter/Paramedic on
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I understand your concern about the vest, but there are a few telling remarks in your comments that raise a few red flags for me.
"Also as for as high rises go the county does not have high rises so there is no need to train for high rise buildings in this area , I would see it if it had a high rise buliding , but keep things simple , too many mocho guys are getting in the fire service thinking they can do it all , when you need to keep things simple!!!"
There are many areas in our field in which we train, if only to be prepared for an incident that may never occur. I work in a city that has no farms, yet I train on farm emergencies, why, because I might be called upon to help a neighboring FD or the concepts that I learn may be applicable in some other instance. As for building owners being compelled to keep hoses staged for us to use on upper floors, that one has been tried and was an utter failure. Many a firefighter raced to these hose cabinets to find hose that had not been maintained or that they were missing altogether. We bring our own toys to the party because we maintain control over their use and maintenance. Instead of railing against the weighted vest, buy one and train with it, chances are that you will do much better the next CPAT you participate in. There have been literally thousands of firefighters that have successfully completed the CPAT, being farm raised doesn't guarantee aerobic capacity, training does. I hope you do better the next time around.
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Permalink Reply by Vic Silverfish on
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If given the choice to take the test in full PPE with all my kit (I usually run bar, so that's a lot of stuff) I'd take the vest every time! Do you get to wear shorts and trainers instead of rubber boots? I am so there! I don't have to sweat my guts out, get to wear comfortable shoes that don't hurt my knees AND get evenly distributed weight that I can strap to my body instead of an entry bag and irons?! Hells yes!
Man up, Nancy. It never hurts to be over-prepared. It totally sucks to be under-prepared. If it's my kid you are dragging down a ladder, I don't want to hear that you are only ready to carry 50lbs, not 75.
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Permalink Reply by capcityff on
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You want my honest opinion? If this is the CPAT and you can't pass that, you won't last in the fire service. Like someone mentioned earlier, this is an approved test that's actually very easy compared to some out there. It's meant to judge if you could make it in the fire academy. It actually weighs less than all of your gear and is worn instead because it is safer to take the test in.
I work for the Washington, DC Fire Department and we recently started using this test. Most guys on the job are complaining that it's too easy so we aren't getting the best recruits. Even if you pass the CPAT, it doesn't mean you will make it to the job at a lot of places. You still have to get through 8 months of rookie school here which is ten times harder than the little CPAT.
To whoever was complaining about high rise packs - STOP CRYING! I thought firemen were supposed to be tough. Who cares if you don't have high rises. Does that really mean the test should be easier for you? Give me a break. What if they build a high rise in your area? Should you retake the test to keep your job?
I know you've worked in the fire service before, but it really doesn't mean anything. You could have 1 day of experience or 20 years of experience, and the new department doesn't care. You're still a rookie.(That's if you get the job) The point is you haven't worked for this department so you have no right to complain. You don't like how they do things, then don't apply. I'm also guessing that you currently work for a slower volunteer department. Becoming a paid guy usually means a busier department that sees more jobs. It's probably going to be harder. Is this a big city department that has its own fire academy? If so they will probably run into the ground. If you ever cry to them about it being too hard they will either tear you a new one or even just fire you. We had one guy that got fired because he went to the hospital too many times during PT.(physical training)
Sorry to be blunt, but that's honestly how it is out there coming from a guy that's full-time at a big city department. If you can't pass something as simple as the CPAT, I wouldn't want you in a burning building with me. I know you might not be testing for a big city, but I look at it like what if there's another 9/11? I will need to depend on other jurisdictions around me.
Good luck.
EDIT: Just realized that this is an old topic and some guy decided to reply to it about five times yesterday. What's with people doing this lately?
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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I'm wondering if it's the same type of vest we use every year for the "Pack Test" in wildland fire. It has lead weights in it and weighs 45 pounds. We have to do the pack test every year to maintain our red card. The idea is a test of your cardiopulmonary capacity. And it sure does that. It makes it tough!
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