West Metro firefighters prove they’re fit to perform

Firefighters always have to be fit for duty.

“Their lives, and the lives of the public, are based on training,” said West Metro Fire Rescue’s wellness manager, Bob Stratman.

From June 2-5, West Metro hosted its annual Physical Ability Training, which is a required fitness test that gauges strength and stamina.

About 550 professional firefighters participated, Stratman said. Joining West Metro was Arvada Fire Protection District, Littleton Fire Rescue and Cunningham Fire Protection District.

It’s important that all firefighters take the test, said Dave Dame and Eric Saling, of West Metro’s Engine 10. Age doesn’t matter.

“It’s the same test from when you’re hired until you retire,” Saling said. “The job (of a firefighter) is the same for everybody.”

The test is hard if a person is not in good shape, Dame said, but it’s not impossible.

And “it gets easier every year because you learn how to do it,” he said.

Applicants and potential recruits were invited to come and familiarize themselves with the test, said West Metro spokeswoman Ronda Scholting, because each person must pass it to enter the firefighter academy.

Stratman estimated that 500 applicants will take the test later this month.

The test encompasses six timed stations. Each station “mimics the essential functions of a firefighter,” Stratman said, such as dragging a 150-pound dummy, climbing a flight of stairs, hoisting equipment and carrying a charged hose line.

“Firefighters are constantly training in the environment we serve,” Stratman said. For example, they go to Red Rocks and the Ken Caryl Valley to get experience for wildland fires, and training for fires in residential areas, such as in a high-rise apartment complex.

In six months, all area firefighters will take another test specific to abdominal and upper-body strength, Stratman said. It includes a treadmill, hand grip and body composition, he added.

Firefighters who pass the tests prove they have “the required fitness level to prevent injury to themselves and the public,” Stratman said. New recruits, he added, are trained for a 20-week period to pass “these fitness evaluations, and many others.”

“We make sure all facets of fitness are included in the training regime,” Stratman said, so that there are “no surprises on game day.”

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