Rescuers put to the test
Sometime between dragging a 165-pound mannequin, crawling through a 3-foot tall pitch black search maze and walking on a stair climbing machine with 75 pounds of weights strapped to you, you realize: this isn't your typical job interview.
But for 29 firefighter-paramedics who applied for four open positions at the Gurnee Fire Department, it's all part of the job.
This summer, hopeful firefighters are going through a series of mental, physical and psychological tests, hoping to be one of the last four standing who are offered positions at the Gurnee Fire Department.
Some of the people applying work part-time for area departments, while others were looking to leave their current department for something new.
As the series of summer-long testing began, the first hurdle to jump was the written test, where a minimum score of 70 percent was required to move on to the next round.
Of the 29 original applicants, 19 passed the written test. Those who passed will move on to the physical ability exercise.
This standardized test was created by the International Association of Fire Fighters and the International Association of Fire Chiefs to show if a person is physically able to perform typical fire-fighting duties such as dragging a hose and forcible entry.
After watching an instructional video on the course, two hopefuls, Kyle Martinelli, 20, of Winthrop Harbor and Karol Jablonski, 31, of Hoffman Estates, try out the course with a practice run.
The men are fitted with a special vest that weighs 50 pounds, and then get two 12.5-pound weights strapped to their shoulders before climbing a stair machine at a rate of 60 steps per minute for three minutes.
"It's tough," Jablonski said.
After the stair machine, the shoulder weights are pulled off, and the 50-pound vest is kept on to simulate the weight of clothing and the self-contained breathing apparatus.
The events that follow include a hose drag; equipment carry; ladder raise and extension; forcible entry; a search maze; a rescue, which requires a 165-pound mannequin to be dragged 35 feet and around a drum and back another 35 feet; and a simulated ceiling breach. All these must be completed in less than 10 minutes and 20 seconds, and there are several rules that the test taker has to follow or they immediately fail the test.
"Something about this test, the stair machine really wears you out," Jablonski said.
He wasn't able to finish the practice test under the required time, but that's somewhat typical, firefighters said.
The benefit of practicing is that Jablonski will know what he is facing the day of the test and can think about areas where he can pick up speed for the real test.
"It looks so easy on the video," Jablonski said.
Martinelli was able to finish the practice test under the required time, but was glad that he practiced it first.
About 15-20 percent of firefighter hopefuls who take the physical test fail on average and a person is twice as likely to fail the test if they didn't do a practice test first, Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy Executive Director Robert Lahey said.
The exercise, called the Candidate Physical Ability Test, or CPAT, was held at NIPSTA in Glenview on Aug. 11.
The 19 remaining candidates will take the CPAT, and those who pass will move on to the next round of testing which includes an oral interview on Aug. 30.
Those candidates will be scored by how they performed on the written, oral and physical exams and listed in order of excellence.
Candidates chosen from that list will be invited to complete the remaining exams including psychological and polygraph exam, a background investigation, medical exam and a final personal interview.
But it won't be over yet. Those who are hired will be placed on a 12-month probationary period before the candidates are officially named Gurnee Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedics.