Fire department offers agility test for potential volunteers

By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

The Charles City Fire Department is seeking nine more volunteers to round out the department’s team.

The department will hold a timed physical agility test for candidates starting at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, at the fire station. The test is the first step in an interview process for those interested in serving their community through the fire station, Fire Chief Eric Whipple said.

“We’re looking for some good candidates, anybody willing to not only help out the fire department, but help out their community. It can be a tough job, but it’s also very rewarding,” Whipple said.

Volunteers also help the department with non-emergency response and regular programming, Whipple said. The Fire Department does a three-week fire safety program with elementary school students every year, is on standby during the annual Independence Day fireworks, and assists with some of the grandstand activities at the Floyd County Fair.

“We do a lot of fun things that not a lot of people get a chance to do as firefighters,” Whipple said. “It kind of gets them a front-row seat to all of the action at the Figure 8s, the demo derby, tractor pull, stuff like that. There are a few perks to being a firefighter.”

Volunteer firefighters are asked to attend training activities twice a month and a meeting once a month, in addition to responding to as many emergency calls as possible as they arise.

“Whether it be day or night, it could be weekends or holidays — that’s kind of the tough part about the job, that you never know when something may happen,” Whipple said. “That’s the dedication of a volunteer firefighter.”

New candidates must complete the class “Firefighter 1,” which on average takes six months of classes once or twice a week to complete. Class times and the time to complete the course depend on how quickly candidates complete the coursework.

Candidates also undergo hazmat testing, an interview at the fire station, background checks and a probationary period, when volunteers respond with the department to fires but are barred from entering a building or site.

Once they are full-time volunteers, members can receive a stipend for the time spent on emergency calls. The process can take from six months to a year to complete, Whipple said.

The Charles City department has four full-time firefighters and 30 volunteer positions.

“We have some people work days, some work nights, some work evenings — so we have to try and cover all of the hours in a day with the amount of volunteers to be able to safely fight a fire, safely respond to any other emergency that we’re needed at,” Whipple said.

The physical agility test will put candidates through eight stations of skills relevant to what firefighters experience on-site: an attic crawl while wearing an air tank, a “body drag” with sandbags, a hose drag, a ladder raise, and other activities.

“It really is pass/fail. It takes some endurance and it takes some strength,” Whipple said.

The test is open to anyone who lives within the fire station’s district, which is mostly in the St. Charles Township boundaries.