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FirefightersCandidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT)
Wearing a 50-pound (22.68 kg) vest that stands in for the SCBA and the protective clothing, you go through eight fire ground tasks in a row on a fixed course, walking 85 feet (25.91 m) between them, and finish them all in 10 minutes and 20 seconds or less. It is the pass/fail physical ability test that fire departments across the U.S. and Canada use to hire firefighters, developed and validated by the IAFF/IAFC Wellness-Fitness Task Force.
Free to startScenarios
- Orientation: at least two sessions, starting at least eight weeks before the test, to try every event and its equipment with peer fitness trainers or CPAT-trained firefighters.
- Timed practice run: at least two on the real CPAT course within 30 days before the test, with as much time as needed to finish.
- Official test: the eight events in a row, against a countdown of 10 minutes and 20 seconds.
The steps
- Before: show a valid ID, sign in, watch the video of the events and the failure points, and sign the waiver and release form.
- Stair climb: with 25 extra pounds (11.34 kg) on the shoulders, a 20-second warm-up at 50 steps per minute, then 3 minutes on the StepMill at 60 steps per minute without stepping off.
- Hose drag: grab the nozzle of a 200-foot (60 m) 1¾-inch (44 mm) hose line, put the line over the shoulder or across the chest (no further than the 8-foot mark), drag it 75 feet (22.86 m) to a drum, turn 90° around it and go 25 feet (7.62 m) more; inside a 5 by 7 foot (1.52 by 2.13 m) box, drop to at least one knee and pull the line until its 50-foot (15.24 m) mark crosses the finish line.
- Equipment carry: take two saws out of the tool cabinet one at a time and set them on the ground, carry both (one in each hand) 75 feet (22.86 m) around a drum and back, and put them back in the cabinet one at a time.
- Ladder raise and extension: lift the top of a 24-foot (7.32 m) extension ladder and walk it up hand over hand, rung by rung, until it rests on the wall, without using the rails; then, with both feet in the 36 by 36 inch (91.44 cm) box of a second, secured ladder, raise the fly section hand over hand to the stop and lower it under control.
- Forcible entry: with a 10-pound (4.54 kg) sledgehammer, strike the target of the measuring device, 39 inches (1 m) off the ground, until the buzzer sounds, keeping both feet outside the toe box; then set the hammer on the ground.
- Search: crawl on hands and knees through an enclosed maze about 3 feet (91.44 cm) high, 4 feet (121.92 cm) wide and 64 feet (19.51 m) long, with two 90° turns, obstacles to go around, over and under, and two narrowed spaces.
- Rescue: drag a 165-pound (74.84 kg) mannequin by the shoulder handles of its harness 35 feet (10.67 m) to a drum, turn 180° around it and go 35 feet (10.67 m) more until the whole mannequin crosses the finish line.
- Ceiling breach and pull: with a pike pole, push the 60-pound hinged ceiling door all the way up three times, then hook the 80-pound ceiling device and pull it down five times; that is one set, and you do four sets. The test ends with the last pull.
- After: sign the CPAT evaluation form and the rehabilitation form before leaving the rehabilitation area.
Safety rules that stop the station
- Running between events: one warning; the second time is a disqualification and the test ends as failed.
- Time runs out: the stopwatches count down from 10:20; if they reach zero before the last pull, the test ends as failed.
- Stair climb: falling or stepping off the StepMill three times in the warm-up or once after the start, or a third time bearing weight on the handrail or wall.
- Hose drag: not going around the drum, leaving the marked path, two steps out the back of the box, or a second time with the knee off the ground or the knees out of bounds.
- Equipment carry: dropping a saw, or a second time running with the saws.
- Ladder: a second missed rung, letting the ladder fall, letting go so the safety lanyard catches it, a second step out of the box, or a halyard that is not controlled hand over hand or slips.
- Forcible entry: losing control of the hammer, or a second step inside the toe box.
- Search: asking the proctor for help so an escape hatch or the entrance or exit cover has to be opened.
- Rescue: a second time grabbing or resting on the drum.
- Ceiling breach and pull: a second step out of bounds or a second dropped pike pole.
- Not completing and signing any of the forms.
To pass
- Pass/fail: all eight events in 10 minutes and 20 seconds or less; departments may not rank candidates by their time.
- All along: long pants, a hard hat with chin strap, work gloves and footwear with closed heel and toe; no watch and no loose or restrictive jewelry.
- Allowed: briefly touching the handrail or wall for balance, setting the saws down to fix the grip, lowering the mannequin to fix the grip, and stopping to re-grip the pike pole; a push or pull that is not complete is called "MISS" and done again.
- The orientation and the two practice runs are mandatory; a candidate can skip them only with a signed written waiver.
- Two stopwatches time the test; if the official one fails, the backup counts.
Official source
City · Seattle Fire Department
Candidate Physical Ability Test, Orientation & Practice Session Guide
The Seattle Fire Department publishes the CPAT orientation guide free: the eight events, their equipment, what is allowed and what fails.
Making Synapses is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by NFPA, IFSAC, Pro Board, OSHA or any state agency. NFPA 1001 and NFPA 1010 are trademarks of their respective owners and are named only to describe the exams.