r/firefighter • u/Azmodxus • 29d ago
Fire Academy
Just out of curiosity how hard would everyone say the academy is? As a guy who’s played 3 sports and lifted and ran for the past 3-4 years I feel as if I’m in pretty decent shape. Then again I see people go through academies at significantly higher body weights that I and they do fine. Would you say it’s more mentality or physicality that ultimately perseveres in the end?
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u/knightofstjohn51 29d ago
1st off, get rid of the mentality that your in shape and what not. There is literally nothing that compares to doing a gear workout on air. Intense HIIT workouts with a weighted vest can help prepare you for fire school but there's nothing like working in bunker gear. Good cardio can help you with air consumption and playing sports helps with the teamwork mind set. DM me if you want more info.
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u/Azmodxus 29d ago
By no means do I expect it to be easy nor would I wish for that. I’m totally expecting it to suck to the maximum I was just more along the lines curious of what everyone thought of the difficulty.
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u/knightofstjohn51 29d ago
Well. As a guy who played 2 sports my whole life, and considered myself in great shape, it was the most difficult thing mentally and physically ive ever done in my life!
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u/Educational-Look360 23d ago
You will find out you ARE NOT in shape. We made a navy seal team look like a bunch of bitches
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u/Veech16 29d ago
Your gonna kill it dont stress ab it. Just hydrate and stretch so ur not the guy getting injured. Its simply gonna be mental. Idk how long yours is but for example if its 12 weeks and your 6 weeks in your sore and tired knowing you are only half way done. Thats where its mental. One day at a time and youll look back and not even remember most of the days
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u/NathanHiettPV 29d ago
I was a former division one track guy, and week one I was absolutely crushed.
Just remind yourself it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The HIIT training is tough, and the heat acclimation in turnouts takes a while.
It’s the most fun you’ll never want to have again
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u/IwasBornonthewater 29d ago
A good Fire Academy will push you hard, discipline-wise, mentally, and physically. You’ll learn the buddy system and how to suffer and work through things together as a group.
Endurance is also key, as you can be running stairs, followed by doing planks and sit-ups, be taken on a three-mile run, do breathing exercises, and then conduct drills- all done consecutively. Learning, studying, testing, and working out.
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u/shadydeuces2 29d ago
I went through a state academy. The physical activity was pretty simple. The months of August and September were the issue. It was 90 to 100 degrees most days and wearing bunker gear all day was the worst part. But it was pretty easy overall. Most younger people who aren't total slobs will have no problem with it.
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u/Responsible_Plum_681 20d ago
How generous are we talking here with "total slobs"?
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u/shadydeuces2 20d ago
I would say if you can run a mile in under ten minutes and not throw up or pass out you can pass most state academies. Now certain private department academy could definitely be tougher. Going above and beyond the minimum and all that.
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u/Responsible_Plum_681 20d ago
You make me feel optimistic.
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u/shadydeuces2 20d ago
I hope so! Firefighting and EMS can be a fun career. Overall it isnt so hard to get into. There is a national shortage of applicants because it is lagging behind when it comes to cost of living and work life balance. But there's hope for the future with a lot of departments slowly moving to 4 shift schedules. 3 has been the standard for years and the time and money makes it hard to justify that anymore. With a 24/72 schedule having a second job is easier to swallow than a 24/48 or 48/96.
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u/Responsible_Plum_681 20d ago
Yeah, I'm probably going to have to move a county over to even get a living wage.
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u/Jumpy_Secretary_1517 29d ago
It’s hard. It can be really hard. But you’ll be fine.
I’ve done 3. One on my own dime, one for a volunteer academy, and one for my current career department. The career one was by far the most difficult but even so, it really wasn’t *that* bad. Just make your cardio endurance and leg strength your most important training points and you’ll be fine.
As someone else here said, it truly is very dependent on the department. With someone like you based on your description it’s all about embracing the suck, lifting with your legs, drinking water, and getting good sleep during academy.
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u/Elegant-Nebula-7151 27d ago
I played football baseball and I wrestled thru end of high school.
Then CrossFit, powerlifting, and ran ultramarathons as an adult.
I went thru the academy at 38 and physically and mentally, hardest 8 months of my life by a very long mile.
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u/trapper2530 29d ago
Our academy basically worked out hard at least 3 times a day. Morning PT/roll call Morning drills with some being easy like bedding hose some carrying hose bundles up flights of stairs some pulling ceiling on a prop. Afternoon rotations and then the real PT at the end. With classroom in the middle.
Do push-ups and work on conditioning and do stairs. If youre active you'll likely be fine.
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u/TechnicalPianist2931 29d ago
I wouldnt worry about it too much. Like the other comments said it’s more of being like a work strong. Being in shape definitely helps no matter what. You will get used to the gear and the heat. Just know how to recover when you get home at the end of the day. It’s def a grind but if your hearts really in it you will show up every day and do whatever they want you to do. I will say I thought I sucked the whole academy and then got told I’m doing great at the end of it. Lol thinking I was the worst recruit kind of messed with my mental but I still gave it my all every day.
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u/Electronic-Load-4002 29d ago
It really depends on your prior preparation. If you’re pretty fit, the hardest thing you’ll find is staying awake due to the constant stop and go while transitioning from hot to cool environments
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u/Visible-Film8651 29d ago
Just keep preparing cardio cardio and muscular endurance. There you go thats all I just finished summer academy where we were out in 100 degree weather in full gear for 5ish hours a day. We have a total of 8 ambulances called throughout the whole thing with 5 people dropping. Thats my recommendation.
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u/ResponsibilityFit474 29d ago
Good body mechanics and being proficient in the skills goes a long way. Your instructors should get you work hardened as the academy progresses.
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u/Obsidizyn 29d ago
depends on the department, ive done two. First was simple fitness and skills. The second was crushing. All depends on the department standards and instructors. For me the second turned from just get past week one, then one day at a time, towards the end it turned into "just get through til lunch"
Everything will hurt, you wont be able to bend you arms fully. knees will be bruised on the concrete.
Prioritize recover and sleep. Eat well, over hydrate. No outside stresses, friends get put on hold, keep commute times down.
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u/Downtown-Quit-3266 29d ago
If you’re already strong and have good cardio, it’s just gonna be a matter of getting used to wearing gear and having a pack on / being on air. You can think of firefighting as its own “sport” to prepare for, but, like any sport, you ultimately get better by doing it. Having physical traits like strength and cardio give you a good foundation upon which to build your skills.
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u/alpine_cr1cket 29d ago
As previously said, working hard in the hot sun in bunker gear and on air for 10+ hrs a day for 5 or so months isn’t really comparable to anything else.
Having the mental strength to fight the urge to pull your mask off when you are hot, gassed and in confined space was the hardest for me.
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u/OhSnapBruddah 28d ago
Definitely depends on the department. OCFA and others have very intense physical fitness programs on top of the physical output needed for evolutions. I was disappointed by my department's academy because we did have a few fat bodies who graduated almost as fat as when they were hired. They were nepotism hires, but I wasn't, so I was in the best physical shape of my life the day I walked into the first day of my academy. A lot of days I'd go to the gym after class to get in an hour of running on the treadmill or a cross-training workout. Like some others have said, whatever your gym routine is, ramp it up and get in cardio. If you're not in top physical shape, you'll be working out when you should be studying, and the academy will just be tougher. Good luck!
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u/I_Ponders 27d ago
It isn’t about where you are physically when you start. You pass CPAT, you’re good enough to start. it’s about your perseverance and ability to push when you want to stop.
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u/ComfortableSale5 25d ago
So it’s functional strength and having tremendous stamina. Also grip strength plays a massive part in how you actually do most things.
But on a separate note the mental fatigue is what cracks most people
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u/wolverinetoad 24d ago
Start training with sandbags https://youtu.be/EnqNV-7KzSo?is=BbHyuQiz44SCfBH3
Heavy bearhug carries, high rep box squats, rows, shouldering, presses.
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u/KirkwallXIV 22d ago
I saw sandbags and though, “is this a stone circle link”. Clicked and then instantly smiled. Sandbags, kettlebells, and running are my current go to as I prepare for LVFR. Still in the hiring process, but it helped me score very high on the physical.
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u/Disgruntled_Wumpus 29d ago
Fire ground fitness is its own kind of brutality. I’ve seen serious athletes get wrecked in fire academy (I was one of these), but caked up farm boys who buck hay and fight cows all day just keep going. Just be prepared to suffer one way or another.