Sacramento ROP Students Try Out CPAT
They climbed stairs, pulled ladders and dragged dummies.
By Tuesday afternoon, seven Sacramento County ROP fire tech students had run through the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) at the CPAT Testing Center in Sacramento. It was the first time that the Sacramento County ROP students had the opportunity to try the test, which has become the industry-standard physical ability testing system for firefighters. The California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee and the Sacramento County Office of Education work in cooperation to make this ROP fire tech class possible. 
Students began the afternoon watching the orientation video, before slipping on helmets, gloves and 50-pound vests over their ROP T-shirts. From there, they broke up into small groups to tackle each of the eight firefighting tasks which make up the CPAT. ROP instructors Jose Rios and Todd Wagner, along with Northern California CPAT Deputy Director Jeff Hansen, guided students through the course run.
Many of the tasks were familiar. In ROP, students meet Monday through Friday for three hours a day at the campus behind Sacramento Metro Fire Station 21 on Greenback Lane, a facility complete with a three-story tower. Here they practice drills, ranging from search and rescue operations to hoisting and hose exercises.
"It's a combined textbook and hands-on curriculum that provides a good foundation for a future in firefighting," said Todd Wagner, who has 17 students enrolled in the class.
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Jared Jeglie, a senior at El Camino Fundamental High School, said that he was no stranger to the eight firefighting CPAT tasks, thanks to ROP.
"In ROP, we run stairs all the time, we've thrown 24 before, dragged a dummy. It's awesome preparation for this test," said Jeglie.
"This is not that difficult," agreed Jake Mendenhall, a Bella Vista High School senior.
"But if I just walked in off the street and tried to take the test, there's just no way," added Jeglie.
Jeff Hansen was glad to give these ROP students the competitive edge of trying out the CPAT and hopes to continue this with future ROP classes.
"Not only do CPAT Centers provide facilities for testing in the fire service but they also provide a training platform for students to better their careers," Hansen said.
