Charlottesville Fire Department

Current Firefighter Hiring Information 2010

• Friday, June 25, 2010 : Accepting applications online at www.charlottesville.org/jobs 
  Note: applications are on-line only.  There are no paper applications.
• Friday, July 30, 2010 : Applications close at 17:00 hrs
• Written Examination and Physical Agility Test: Saturday, August 14, 2010

§         Written test at Charlottesville High School (Directions, click here)

§         Registration starts at 07:30 hours

§         Identification required at registration (Drivers License and/or Picture ID)

§         Test begins at 08:30 hours

§         Note: NO admittance once the test has began

• Agility test will immediately follow to those candidates who are successful on the written exam
• You will be required to sign a liability release before participating in the agility test.
• Identification will be required at registration for the agility test
• Please be sure to review the physical agility testing information prior to the test date, as no coaching or further review of the course will be allowed on that date.
• Agility Test Practice: please call and make an appointment to practice; dates and contact information listed below
• Potential candidates will interview during the week of August 30, 2010

Physical Agility Practice Testing

(Directions, click here)
 

July 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 & 25th

• Practice sessions have been scheduled at Monticello Fire Rescue to provide applicants with the opportunity to complete testing stations at their own pace to determine areas that may need to be worked on for the actual test date.
• Identification is required at the practice session
• In order to participate in the practice test dates, you must call the Albemarle County Fire Rescue office at (434) 296-5833, identify yourself as a City of Charlottesville Fire candidate, and sign up for a time slot.  We strongly encourage applicants to attend one of the practice dates in order to ensure successful completion on test day.

PHYSICAL AGILITY ENTRANCE EXAMINATION

The Charlottesville Fire Department and Albemarle County Department of Fire Rescue will conduct a physical agility entrance examination for the positions of Firefighter to ensure the candidate's ability to perform the essential functions of the position. The test procedures are as follows:

• Each candidate must sign a waiver prior to taking the physical agility test. The waiver will be signed by the candidate at the site.
• All tests shall be scored as "PASS" or "FAIL" and have the time recorded.
• The exam will be a timed event agility course consisting of seven (7) activities.
• Applicants must wear a helmet, firefighter gloves, and a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), less the face piece.
• Only one attempt will be allowed to complete the course.
• Time will not be stopped once begun until all grouped events are complete.
• The Department of Fire Rescue will provide all personal protective equipment the day of the testing.  Please do not attempt to use your own equipment.
• Throughout all events, the candidate will wear long pants and footwear with no open heel or toe. Watches and loose / restrictive jewelry will not be permitted.

Please read below for a description of the agility examination. If you have a medical condition that we should be aware of, please notify the Department prior to participating in the practice or actual agility test.  If there are any questions, please contact the Department of Fire Rescue at 434-296-5833 or Charlottesville Fire Department at 434-970-3240.

Timed Circuit-7 Minute Time Limit

Before beginning the timed event, you will be given the opportunity to select a helmet, firefighter gloves, and an SCBA, which you will be expected to wear throughout the entire timed event.  If at any time during the event, you begin to feel over heated, dizzy, chest pain, or severe shortness of breath, tell the time controller.  There are EMS providers on site to evaluate you.

Hose Drag

• 100 feet of 2 1/2 inch hose (two fifty foot sections, coupled together) being dragged 250 feet so that both end couplings pass the finish line.  The start of this station is the start of the 7-minute time.
• The station monitor will tell you when to pick up the hose, let the time controller know when you are set to begin.
• The time controller will monitor your time from beginning to end and guide you from station to station. 

Hydrant Cap

• From the finish line of the hose drag the candidate will walk over to the marked hydrant.  The candidate will work right to left, removing the hydrant caps, and then placing the hydrant caps back on hand tight.
• The station monitor ensures that you move in a right to left pattern and that the caps are on hand tight when you finish.
• The time controller will monitor your time and guide you to and from this station.

Ladder Carry

• The candidate leaves the hydrant cap station and walks over to the ladder carry station.  The candidate lifts a 14-foot roof ladder (using proper leg lifting technique) and carries the ladder 250 feet to the finish line.  Once the ladder has been lifted, neither end may touch the ground until reaching the finish line.  The candidate may carry the ladder any way that they want, so long as they do not let either end touch the ground and they use proper leg lifting technique when lifting the ladder up and setting the ladder down.
• The station monitor will watch you lift the ladder, tell you when you have crossed the finish line, and when you can set the ladder down.  The monitor will return the ladder to the starting line.
• The time controller will monitor your time and direct you from the finish line to the next station.

Step Up

• The candidate will lift a hose pack of 100 feet of 1 1/2 inch hose onto their shoulder and step up onto a platform (8 inches in height) with both feet completely on the platform and then back to the ground with both feet for a complete repetition.  The candidate must complete thirty repetitions before putting the hose pack back down.
• The station monitor will count your repetitions and advise you when you can put the hose pack down.  If the station monitor does not count a repetition, it indicates that for some reason you did not complete the repetition as required.  THE OFFICIAL COUNT IS THAT OF THE STATION MONITOR, NOT YOURS.  ONLY WHEN THE STATION MONITOR SAYS YOU HAVE COMPLETED THIRTY REPETITIONS, ARE YOU FINISHED WITH THE STATION.
• The time monitor will monitor your time and direct you to the next station.

Chopping

• You will pick up a 10-pound sledgehammer, gripping between the painted mark and the handle end. Lift it above your head and strike a marked block on the ground.  The hammer must come above your head for the strike to count, but extreme force is not necessary.  You must complete twenty strikes to finish the station. 
• The station monitor will count your strikes.  If the station monitor does not count a strike it is because you did not meet the objective.  THE OFFICIAL COUNT IS THAT OF THE STATION MONITOR, NOT YOURS.  ONLY WHEN THE STATION MONITOR SAYS YOU HAVE COMPLETED TWENTY STRIKES, ARE YOU FINISHED WITH THE STATION.
• The time controller will monitor your time and direct you to the next station.

Forcible Entry

• You will lift a flat head axe, strike a tire on a sixteen-inch rim lying flat on a table with the flat head of the axe, driving the tire from one end of the table to the other, and then back again.  The front edge of the tire must extend over the end of the table. 
• The station monitor will watch your strikes and tell you when the tire reaches the desired location.  ONLY WHEN THE STATION MONITOR SAYS THAT YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THE OBJECTIVE HAVE YOU DONE SO. 
• The time controller will monitor your time and direct you to the next station.

Dummy Drag

• You will be required to lift a 165-pound dummy and drag it a total of 125 feet.  You may drag the dummy any way that you like, by one arm, both arms, under the arms, with the harness provided, feet first; it is up to you. 
• The station monitor will tell you when you have reached the finish line.
• The time controller will call time when you have completed the station or when you have run out of time.

This concludes the physical agility examination. After completion of the timed circuit, you will return your gloves, helmet, and SCBA to the staging area.  You are given a 15-minute break in a designated Rehab area during which time refreshments will be available. Your vital signs shall be recorded in accordance with rehab guidelines.  IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU REMAIN IN THE REHAB AREA AND NOT WONDER AROUND THE STATION OR COURSE DURING THIS TIME.

Challenges

• At any time an individual candidate feels that he or she has been unfairly treated, that candidate may ask to speak to the testing coordinator. 
• AT NO TIME WILL A CANDIDATE BE ALLOWED TO CHALLENGE AN INDIVIDUAL EVALUATOR OR TIME MONITOR. 
• If a candidate feels they have a legitimate complaint and is not satisfied with the results of their discussion with the testing, they may submit their complaint in writing to the Director of Human Resources for the City of Charlottesville. 

ADA Accommodations

• Accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are considered on a case-by-case basis. 
• Requests for specific accommodations should be submitted in writing at least two weeks prior to the PRACTICE TEST. 
• The request must indicate the specific needs of the individual and be accompanied by appropriate documentation validating the need.