CFFJAC Officially Opens 2nd In The Nation CPAT Testing Center in Dublin
Fit For Duty
Cost-Saving CPAT Testing Center Certifies Physical Ability of Next Generation of Fire Professionals
The next generation of California firefighters will be better equipped than ever before to meet the intense physical demands of their profession, thanks to a brand new state-of-the-art physical ability testing center in Dublin which hosted media and fire service guests Wednesday.
The CFFJAC CPAT Testing Center is one of only two centers in the nation dedicated solely to the administration of the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). The center, sponsored by the not-for-profit California Fire Fighter Joint Apprenticeship Committee (CFFJAC) enables would-be firefighters to get their physical ability certification on their own schedule. Those who pass receive the CPAT Card of Completion, certifying they have "what it takes".
"California firefighters are being asked to do more with less, and that means they need to be smarter, stronger and tougher than ever before," noted Dan Terry, Chair of the CFFJAC. "The CPAT is the 'gold standard' for physical ability testing, and this center brings that standard to every department in a comprehensive, cost-effective way."
The CPAT is a model firefighter testing partnership, developed jointly by the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). Candidates traverse a sequence of eight separate events, simulating the most common and strenuous firefighting tasks, all within a span of 10 minutes, 20 seconds.
The CFFJAC CPAT Testing Center makes this groundbreaking test more accessible to would-be firefighters, at a tremendous cost-savings to local fire departments, who are spared the time and expense of conducting the test themselves. More than 87 fire departments in California already accept the CPAT Card of Completion as proof of physical ability, and the number continues to grow. Many, like San Jose City, Alameda County, Contra Costa County and the Los Angeles City Fire Departments, have already taken the step of making the CPAT card a minimum requirement for applying to become a firefighter.
"By removing the need to conduct physical testing on site, CFFJAC CPAT is an enormous benefit to our department," said Keith Richter, Chief of Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. "We'll get candidates who can handle the physical demands of the job without the cost and logistical hassles of running the test ourselves."
The new Dublin facility builds on the remarkable success of the first CFFJAC CPAT Testing Center in Orange, California, which opened in May of 2004. More than 3,700 candidates have taken the CPAT at the Orange testing center, that's more than 60 per week. Would-be firefighters who've taken the CPAT say the test is challenging, but fair.
"Overall, I think the CPAT test is comparable to what we do on the front lines," said San Jose Fire Captain Mary Gutierrez. "This test really proves itself as an accurate measure to the job we do."
In keeping with its mission of opening the fire service to all qualified candidates, the CFFJAC CPAT Testing Center also makes scholarships available for low-income individuals through the non-profit California Fire Foundation.
Firefighter candidates interested in taking the CPAT, and departments interested in accepting the CPAT Card of Completion, can get the full story by going online at www.CPATonline.org, or by calling the CPAT Testing Center at (877) 648-CPAT.