Firefighter Initial-Hire PAT

The Physical Ability Test (PAT) is designed to assess a candidate's capacity to perform the tasks ordinarily performed by a firefighter while on the job. This is accomplished by requiring the candidate to perform a series of events that both simulate firefighting activities and depend on the physical abilities required to perform the firefighter’s job. These abilities include cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. 

No person appointed to a permanent, temporary or intermittent, or reserve police or firefighter position after November first, nineteen hundred and ninety-six shall perform the duties of such position until he shall have undergone initial medical and physical fitness examinations and shall have met such initial standards. The appointing board or officer shall provide initial medical and physical fitness examinations. If such person fails to pass an initial medical or physical fitness examination, he shall be eligible to undergo a reexamination within 16 weeks of the date of the failure of the initial examination. If he fails to pass the reexamination, his appointment shall be rescinded. No such person shall commence service or receive his regular compensation until such person passes the health examination or reexamination.

Stair Climb

This event simulates continuous stair climbing, an activity that firefighters may perform when getting to a fire at an incident scene. For this event, you will be required to step on a rotating staircase (also known as a stepmill) at a pre-determined stepping pace for a specific period of time. You will get a 5-minute rest period after this event. The required time to remain on the stepmill is 200 seconds.

Ladder Event

This event simulates various activities related to using ladders. You will be required to remove a ladder from a rack, carry it some distance, raise a weight of approximately 45 lbs. attached to a rope that simulates the raising of an extension ladder, lower that weight and return the ladder to the rack from which it was taken. The event ends when the ladder is back in the rack. The time limit is 35.56 seconds.

Hose Advance

This event simulates the actions necessary to manipulate a fully charged fire hose. You will be required to pull 50 feet of hose through a U-shaped course with several turns. There will be a ceiling on the U-shaped course to prevent you from standing upright. The time limit is 20.00 seconds.

Forcible Entry

This event simulates breaking down a door to gain entry to a burning structure or an incident scene. For this event you will be required to strike a rubber pad mounted on a moveable post. You will use a 12 lb. sledge hammer to move the post a set distance. The post and structure are weighted to simulate the force you would need to exert on a door in order to gain entrance. The time limit is 13.91 seconds.

Search

This event simulates the actions necessary to enter and search a smoke-filled structure. You will be required to crawl through a dark wooden tunnel with obstructions and turns. The tunnel is approximately 65 feet long. The tunnel is 4 feet high and 4 feet wide. At one location in the tunnel there is an obstacle on the floor and at one location there is an obstacle from the ceiling. In addition, at two locations, the tunnel is reduced from 4 to 3 feet in width. The time limit is 39.00 seconds.

Rescue Through a Doorway

This event simulates the actions necessary to drag an unconscious victim out through a doorway to get the victim to safety. You will be required to drag a 125 pound dummy approximately 30 feet, along a zigzag course to a designated area at the end of the course. In this event, there is a low ceiling over the course to prevent you from standing upright. The time limit is 36.00 seconds.

Ceiling Hook (Pike Pole)

This event simulates the use of a pike pole or ceiling hook. A pike pole or ceiling hook is a fire fighting tool used to tear down ceilings or open walls while looking for hidden fires. This event will require you to take a pike pole, tipped with an industrial hammer head, and thrust it upward at a metal plate in an 8 foot ceiling. The metal plate weighs approximately 60 lbs. And must be lifted six inches in order for the strike to count. You will then step over to the next part of the event, where a pike pole handle is suspended from a ceiling height. The pole is attached to a counter balance that weighs approximately 80 lbs. You must pull the pole down six inches in order for the pull to count. You will be required to perform one push and five pulls in a sequence. The event will require you to perform four one-minute periods of work, in which you will try to do as many push-pull sequences as possible. Each work period will be followed by a 30 second rest period. You must complete 25 full repetitions.

Candidates appearing for a PAT who have not been scheduled in advance with HRD will not be allowed to test.

HRD's policy is to allow Initial Hire PATs only for those individuals whose hiring departments have scheduled a test with HRD in advance.

Candidates must pass medical exam and submit pages 1 and 6 in order to be eligible to schedule a PAT.  You may download these forms and obtain more information about the Medical examination here.

Mandatory Requirements for the Physical Ability Test:

Candidates are required to bring the following to the PAT testing site:

• Photo I. D. (for the preview and the test dates)
• A $150.00 bank check or money order made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (for the test date only

PAT candidates have the option of taking a PAT Preview. During the PAT Preview, candidates take a "practice" PAT that is not timed or scored. The Preview allows candidates to become familiarized with the events required during the actual PAT.

Currently, the PAT Previews are free of charge to candidates but may be subject to change.

To schedule an Initial Hire PAT the hiring department must submit a request for the next available Preview and/or PAT along with pages 1 and 6 of the candidate's completed medical examination forms to HRD.  Requests must be submitted no later than 48 hours before the requested date of the Preview and/or PAT. Candidates are scheduled in the order in which they are input.  Once scheduled, the hiring department will receive confirmation of the candidate's test date(s) and test time(s) via Governmentjobs.com.

Should a candidate need to cancel a PAT or PAT Preview, he or she must make the request to the sponsoring department at least 48 hours in advance of the test/preview date, and the sponsoring department notifies Mr. Phil Ierardi, HRD PAT Coordinator, at 617-878-9756, of the cancellation at least 24 hours in advance of the test/preview date.