Firefighters.
Often hailed as heroes of the community, but what does it take to get there?
The Billings Fire Department seeks new candidates annually for possible job openings to fill these vital roles within our community.
It’s a hiring process like no other that begins with completing the Montana Firefighter Testing Consortium.
Currently, testing is conducted by Public Safety Testing, or PST for short. PST conducts the written and physical exams required by the Montana Firefighting Testing Consortium, which is made up of 14 fire departments in Montana, including the Billings Fire Department.
The company was in Billings this past fall, conducting the written test and the Candidates Physical Agility Test, or CPAT.
“In the past, we did the consortium once a year, and if you didn’t pass you had to wait an entire year. Utilizing a company like PST has allowed our candidates to test in multiple locations to fit their schedule or meet the deadline for applying. It has given departments a broader base of candidates,” said Chelsea Thompson, Assistant Training Chief for the Billings Fire Department.
Thirty-two men and women took the written and 45 took the CPAT this past fall.
Each test is challenging in its own way.
The three-and-a-half hour written exam is not based on firefighting knowledge or skills. Instead, it contains questions that cover cognitive abilities and non-cognitive traits.
PST has a remote option for the written exam so it can be taken at home, or at a testing center.
The CPAT however, is done in person. It starts with the stair climber wearing 75 pounds of extra weight. At a rate of 60 steps per minute, the candidate continues for three minutes without stopping or holding onto the railings.
They conduct the rest of the course wearing a 50-pound vest.
The other stations include a hose drag, equipment carry, ladder raise & extension, forcible entry with a sledgehammer, search by navigating through a maze in the dark, moving a 165-pound rescue dummy 70 feet, then finishing off with ceiling breach and pull.
“This is the most realistic test that they’ve come up with nationwide. Everything in this test is job applicable, whether it’s climbing stairs with heavy weights simulating our turnouts and equipment, dragging a victim out of a building, raising ladders, or moving a hose. Every event has a purpose. It allows candidates to see what the job entails, and the fitness standard that comes with the job in a controlled environment,” Thompson explained.
PST’s advice is to come prepared.
“You can’t walk into it and expect to do well. The written test you have to study for, the physical ability test especially you have to prepare for. Start a fitness routine like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or CrossFit,” explained Jon Walters, president of Public Safety Testing.
“Candidates should be looking at this as a lifelong demanding career physically and mentally. The more they are prepared coming into the testing process and recruit academy, the healthier they will be to serve the department and community,” Thompson added.
PST offers a study guide for the written test, along with orientation and a practice test before the actual physical test.
“The orientation is an excellent opportunity for the candidate to know exactly what’s expected of them. They get to see the course, they get to walk the course. We get to explain everything. If they have questions, we can answer those questions,” said PST’s Spokane Coordinator Roger Libby.
Aside from the written exam and CPAT testing, the Billings Fire Department has several other application requirements at the time of hire:
• Minimum age of 18
• US citizen or lawful permanent resident
• High school graduate or GED
• Driver’s License
• National Registry EMS certification
• Complete Background check
• Pre-employment physical and drug screening
• Mental health assessment
Click here to see more information on job requirements.
If you’re up for the challenge and a job in firefighting interests you, testing will take place on May 23 and 24 at the MetraPark Montana Pavilion.
Each candidate is responsible for covering the cost of testing fees.