“We’re talking about practice, man.”

Last night was the first of what will be many, short trips to Savannah in the upcoming months.

The Savannah Fire Department held a mandatory informational meeting about the written test and the CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test). It was mostly about what to expect, how to prepare, and also to answer any general questions about the hiring process and requirements. I really didn’t learn too much that I didn’t already know, with the exception of that even though the testing is in early June, the hiring/starting date probably won’t be until September. Awe. Some.

But, we did get what I was really hoping for, which was a chance to do a walk-through on the CPAT course and being able to actually get our hands on a few sections of the test:

- The 50 lb vest we’ll have to wear during the entire course (add 25 more lbs for the Stair Climbing portion)

- Randy, the mannequin for the Rescue portion

- The little, 10 lb sledge hammer we’ll use during the Forcible Entry portion

Let me just tell you this: Randy’s no joke. That guy is 165 lbs of pure, dead weight. And dragging his fake ass to, around, and from a barrel on concrete and asphalt will kick your ass. Even though I’m most worried about the stair climbing portion (which everyone says is the worst part by far), that fucker Randy has moved into the #2 spot easily.

So in addition to what I’m already doing at the gym, I’ll be spending as many Saturday mornings in Savannah practicing the CPAT in order to get everything down and improve my time. Not that how fast you complete the course matters. As long as you complete it in under 10 minutes and 20 seconds, you pass. It’s your written test scores that need to be high. The higher those are (and if you pass the CPAT), the better your chances of getting hired, or at least hired early.

So I have to brush up on my reading comprehension as well as put myself through the paces at the gym and on the practice course. And you know, I’m actually looking forward to practice right now... but we’ll see how long that lasts.

D

After I told him that practicing the CPAT every weekend was actually going to be fun for me, Chris said “Dude, you’re pretty much training to be an Avenger. That’s awesome.”