Why I am Moving (to clarify)
Well as of this post I’m sitting in Kemah, Texas. On Saturday March 7th I took a Physical Abilities Test for the Texas City, Texas Fire Department. I passed my PAT with 3 minutes and 24 seconds for all the events, which I might add, sucked. In order, here is how it went down:
- Ladder Climb (Not Timed) – Climb a 100 foot ladder at a 60 degree angle and come down safely. Very Easy.
- Hoseline Advance (Timed from here on out) – Drag a 200 ft. section of charged 1 3/4″ hose 150 ft. This was not an easy task. A gallon of water weights 8.33 lbs, and there is a lot of gallons in 200 ft of hose.
- Forcible Entry – Using a 9 pound shot mallet, move a weight on a keiser sled 3 feet. Pretty Easy I thought, but after the hoseline drag I was wearing out.
- Victim Rescue – Drag a “Rescue Randy” 50 ft. Rescue Randy weighs 165 lbs. My original plan was to get him up and hug him basically, but I was worn down after the previous two events. So I dragged him by the straps instead.
- Equipment Carry – Carry a K12 saw and a chainsaw 50 feet. Pretty easy.
- Ladder Carry – Carry a roof ladder 75 feet. Easy.
- Hoseline lift – Lift a 50ft section of rolled 3″ hose off the ground 20 ft with a rope on a pulley and lower it back without it hitting the ground hard. Easy.
All in all I feel that I did very good, as there were over 100 applicants there that day. Others did do better than me, but alot did slower times too. What matters is the Civil Services test this saturday, the 14th. I have passed every practice question I’ve tried, and all the questions are very easy. I feel confident on being able to pass it with a very high score.
Anyway, back to why I’m moving. This job has an amazing starting salary, and it’s actually pretty crappy for the area too. And getting this job would allow me to fulfill the dream of being a firefighter. If I don’t get this job, I will simply try for others.
I ran out of steam for this post, so i’ll have an update post soon with more reasons to clarify my move.
