Fire Physical Agility

The Oakland Physical Agility test is a pre-employment physical test based upon tasks that a firefighter would need to do on a fire ground.  There are both non-timed and timed sections that need to be accomplished.

TEST DAY INFORMATION

  • Report to the Fire Training Tower on the CREST facility, at the Auburn Hills Campus or OCC 30 minutes prior to the test time.
  • Photo ID is required for admission to ALL testing.
  • The completed OCC Registration/Health Screening Form is required for anyone taking the test.  The Physician/Physician's Assistant license number must be on the form.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

To register please call 248.232.4581 or mail your Registration/Health Screening Form and $100.00 (CERTIFIED CHECK OR MONEY ORDER ONLY) made payable to the Oakland Community College to:
Oakland Fire Academy
2900 Featherstone Road
Building J, Room 123
Auburn Hills, MI  48326

registration/health screening form

PHYSICAL AGILITY TASKS

  1. Climb a 75’ aerial ladder, candidate is safety belayed. Or candidate will climb 6 flights of stairs to the 5th floor of the tower.  This is not a timed event. The candidate has to maintain progress at all times no stopping to rest etc.
  2. Candidate will remove safety harness. Candidate will be directed to the start line and asked if ready. When candidate states he/she is ready the candidate will be told to begin and time starts.
  3. Walk 85’ to a fire engine and remove 2 saws from a compartment and carry them 70 feet around an obstacle; then return them to the ground by the truck and lift them one by one safely back into the compartment. Saws cannot be dropped.
  4. Walk 85’ to a 1 ¾ fire hose hand line uncharged, take the nozzle 70 feet kneel in a pre -marked area and pull the fire hose hand over hand till the first coupling is in the same pre-marked area.
  5. Walk 85’ to 24’ secured extension ladder and raise it hand over hand up against a building. They will then step 2’ to their left and extend a 24’ ladder till it stops and then lower it hand over hand. The candidate has to be in control of the ladder at all times and done safely or be disqualified.
  6. Walk 85’ pick up the sledge hammer and strike the forcible entry prop. (This is a device that has the tension already set. It is the same for all candidates. It requires a set amount of force to move in and ring the buzzer). There is no set number of strikes it is totally dependent on the amount of force the candidate uses.
  7. Walk 85’ pick up a 50’ length of 2 ½ uncharged bundled hose. And climb 3 flights of stairs safely while maintaining constant contact the stairway hand rail. The hose cannot be dropped.
  8. On the 3rd floor, drop the hose and then move a 150lb dummy 70’ (35’ around a cone and back 35’ to the starting line).
  9. Walk 85’ and enter a darkened tunnel and crawl 70 feet.
  10. Walk 85’ to a push/pull prop.( This will simulate pulling ceiling ) The candidate will pick up a pike pole and push a weighted hinge door 5 times and then will pull a weighted hook 5 times. That will be 1 cycle the candidate will have to complete a set of 3 cycles. Set pike pole on ground or against wall. The pike pole cannot be dropped or the candidate is disqualified.
  11. Walk to 2 ½ hose that was left at the door of the 3rd floor, pick it up and proceed down stairs to start line. Time is stopped once the start/finish line is crossed.

The pass/fail for the timed portion of the test is set at 10 minutes. 

All candidates will be given the chance to walk the course prior to the test and any questions will be answered at that time. We will not start till ALL candidates are ready to begin. There will be only one candidate on the course at a time. (To expedite time if needed we will reserve the right to start another candidate only after the 1st has passed a certain event so there will be no chance of 2 candidate’s occupying the same area) 

Each candidate will be timed by two proctors with independent stop watches that are started at the same time.  One proctor will walk with the candidate and read a standard set of directions for each task while the other remains at the start/finish line.