Originally Posted by
mikejs210
I'm taking the CPAT for San Antonio coming up in March. We were told that a total of 50 people would be hired from a pool of about 300 that made it through to the CPAT. 25 will start in August 2012 and another 25 in January of 2013. I'm thinking they go in order by rank and I was #28 after the written exam. They told us if we were ranked 200 and up, there was very little chance of actually getting into the Academy.
For the CPAT, ours is 8 events and has to be completed in 10:20 or less. I'm pretty sure we have to wear a 50 pound vest for the duration of the CPAT and we wear another 25 pounds just for the stair climb. I went to an orientation last week for the CPAT and they just showed us some videos on the CPAT and the Academy and let us know about workshops that we have to attend to prep for the CPAT. I'll be doing 1 workshop within the next 2 weeks and will let ya'll know how that goes if anyone is interested. I think the CPAT is the same for everyone, but in case it's not, here are the 8 events we have to do:
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One of the brave from Houston here! 3rd/4th largest department in the nation!
My dude, that San Antonio CPAT is cake if you are in at least decent shape. The toughest part is the beginning 3 minute stair climb with the 50 lb vest. Here's a hint: show up in business clothes if you have to attend one of their mandatory orientations. I went to one and showed up in jeans and t-shirt like everyone else and we were GRILLED by the main academy instructor. He's all about professionalism, which I now understand. I was unfortunately dropped from the hiring process after the CPAT & fingerprinting. which was my own fault. They didn't contact me for 6 months (they tell you they won't contact you for months and to always be ready) and then out the of the blue they call me up to schedule my oral interview. They asked if anything had changed in the last 6 months and I told them my job had. BIG MISTAKE! You sign a paper sometime in the process telling you to update the recruiting department if there are ANY changes ie address, phone number, employment, residence, etc. I totally forgot to do this because I was also in Houston's process. You have to keep up with your own stuff because they will not remind you. They are always looking to cut people, even for BS mistakes like mine since there are so many qualified applicants. Lucky me, I was hired a month later by my hometown and first choice Houston!
Here is some knowledge I'll pass along, feel free to ask any questions or you can PM/e-mail me at
[email protected] Always happy to help. It truly is the best job around!
Written exams do not consist of ANY fire department knowledge at all! It is all civil service exam questions testing you overall knowledge. I'm not sure why guys get the impression they have to study fire stuff to pass the test. Most of the time the test is the same that sanitation, police and other departments take if they must test. Think of it like a dumb SAT or ACT. I scored a 99 with Houston and was ranked 187. Military guys usually get an extra 5-10 points before even taking the test.
Written exams are all different. Some are written by the department themselves and other are bought from companies. San Antonio was the hardest one I took, and I still scored a 93 (the visual memorization page you study for all of like 5 minutes killed me).
Keep copies of EVERYTHING you turn in because the city is liable to lose it along the lengthy hiring process. If you have been arrested, owe child support or have something to hide, they will probably find out about it. They do local, state, national and/or FBI background checks. Plus you will probably have to take a lie detector test/polygraph.
Be in shape before you take the CPAT. Don't make a fool of yourself. The national CPAT is cake. In Houston, the 1.5 mile run kills most applicants.
If you made it to the academy, be in great shape when you show up, don't think the academy is going to do it for you. Guys quit or get kicked out early because they can't keep up. Houston's academy was 9 months, four 10 hour days a week. We PT'ed EVERY morning starting at 5:45am. Then you have classroom, skill instructions or tests for the rest of the day. The live burns are a whole new level. I was a college athlete and it still was the most difficult physical thing I have ever done. And that doesn't even compare to a real working fire in some cases.
Be ready to get shout at and bossed around, so if you don't handle authority well, this isn't the job for you. Things calm a bit once you hit the station, but you are the rookie. Remember your place.
Once you get in, almost everyone stays in and retires. I work 2 out of every 8 days with a stretch of 5 days off at a time. I get paid extra for my bachelor's degree. I have made life long friends that I can count on for anything. My pension is guaranteed by the state and it doesn't fluctuate like a 401k. I have plenty of time to work a 2nd and 3rd job. There are really no negatives except those "oh %@+#" situations you sometimes have to deal with.
Good luck!
), but also enough for the written exam as well.
