OVERVIEW OF THE CANDIDATE PHYSICAL ABILITY TEST

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OVERVIEW OF THECANDIDATE PHYSICAL ABILITY TEST

• By
• Assistant Deputy Chief Tom Siragusa

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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

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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

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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

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CPAT

• Developed to allow FDs 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

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CPAT Events

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

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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
• 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

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Stair Climb
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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

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Hose Drag
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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
• 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

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Equipment Carry
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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
• 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

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24 Foot Ladder Raise Ladder Fly Extension
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CPAT Event 5

• Forcible Entry
• 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

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Forcible Entry
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CPAT Event 6

• Search
• 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.

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Search
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CPAT Event 7

• Rescue
• 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

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Rescue
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CPAT Event 8

• Ceiling Breach Pull
• 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

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Ceiling Breach Pull
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CPAT Forms

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

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CPAT Candidate Prep Guide

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

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CPAT Administration

• Recommendations
• Candidate be notified at least 8-weeks prior to
  test
• 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 -
• Check-in / Staging
• Testing
• Rehabilitation
• Proctors needed (minimum) for test events
• 1 lead for each candidate
• 11 event proctors distributed for the 8 events

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Cost of CPAT Equipment

• Approximately 50,000 for
• Test props including shipping
• Proctor Training
• Course Validation
• Equipment Trailer

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THE END

• CPAT