I am currently preparing for the physical side of the job. After talking with veterans and academy recruits, you have to have a combination of upper body strength and good cardio conditioning (obviously). I was told by veterans that exercising in ways that simulate physical strains is the best way to prepare. Running stairs with backpack loaded with books helps, carrying awkward weights and running flatland, stairs, with and without the backpack, etc. I dont know if this will help but those are some of the things Ive heard.

Check out Strengthcats.com and firefighter-fitness.com
Lena

Thanks lena for the info because i wanted to know more about how to attack phsyical aspect of the job.;)

Thankyou everyone. That helped me a lot. :)

Thanks,
Jamie

I know of a health & fitness company that designed a health & fitness video for fire & police candidates to pass the physical agility & get in great shape.

1streaction.com

http://www.eas.com/sportsspecific/publicsafety.asp?F=PS

If you've heard of the Body for Life fitness program, then you'll appreciate this web site by the author. They have specific public safety workout programs, specifically for male and female fire fighter candidates.

Checkout www.firefightersworkout.com

ButterBall

Kittie, I am a FF in NYC. I would recommend that you do a lot of running. Try running on hills, or stair climbing, along with exercises that will build up your muscular endurance. A strong aerobic capacity along with a high level of muscular endurance is more important than having an extremely high level of strength. In other words, it is important that a FF is able to climb seven flights of stairs carrying 80lbs of equipment and then advance a 2 1/2" hoseline through a smoke filled apartment in which the temp. is over 1000 degrees at the ceiling level. This is a physically demanding task that does require strength, but I would argue that endurance is more important. If you do not have access to a gym, you can perform pushups, pullups, and situps to build your endurance. Running is the best way to increase your aerobic capacity, while at the same time it builds muscular endurance in your legs. If you do have access to a gym, perform exercises using weights that you can do 10-12 reps with. Try not to rest too long in between sets. Form is more important than the amount of weight that you lift. Also, be creative with the way you train yourself. When I was training for the FDNY physical, I heard on ESPN about some football players who had a good idea on how to build up their legs, so I copied their way of training. It worked for me, but everyone is different. After practice, they would push a Jeep across their football field. So, after my 4 mile runs, I would push a car 1/4 mile . You do not have to get this extreme (you could get injured doing this) butjust be open to new ways of training.

Hope this helps
-Pat

Seattle Fire Department's web site has a great work out and training section. It is a .pdf file so you can print it out and use it.

Good luck!

JMJ

i'm tring to become a ff and right now i'm recovering from surgery on my knee. i'm wondering if it totally heals and it isn't a bother anymore will i still be allowed on the ff/paramedic team/s . also i'm still 14 and a girl and would like to know how i start training to become a ff/paramedic. if you have ANY tips on how i should start training i would be very thankful.
thanks
jfreak :)

Pat's advice on pushing cars is excellent. Since the beans have been spilled, I'll go ahead and share more regarding my super-secret-weapon workout: I push a car for 90 second intervals with 90 seconds of rest between, pushing hard enough to maintain a jog rather than a walk. It's really the only workout I've stumbled across that recreates the difficulty, discomfort, and dispair that you find in a long hose drag or similar event. If you can eventually do 4 or 5 repeats, I think you're in pretty good shape for any test.

In addition to being a great interval workout for boosting aerobic capacity and lactic acid tolerance (Oh, it KILLS your quads; good luck walking the day after you first try this), it also really toughens you up. It teaches you how to manhandle an awkward task, handle limited traction, "put your shoulder into it", etc.

Be careful, though. Don't hurt yourself. And have fun explaining yourself to your neighbors.

Sincerely,
Jim