What are the chances that a 5'7", 110lb female would pass the exterior Firefighting course? I have little muscle mass, but I have the desire to become a firefighter. How tough are the physical requirements for exterior?
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What are the chances that a 5'7", 110lb female would pass the exterior Firefighting course? I have little muscle mass, but I have the desire to become a firefighter. How tough are the physical requirements for exterior?
You know, my D.I.s at Parris Island used to say its not the size of the man in the fight, but the size of the fight in the man.
You know what you want to do, you know how to do it. Now you just have to do it.
Hitting th gym is not a bad thing either. A good trainer will help you bulk up a little without looking like a body builder either. There are plenty of firefighters out there that are about as big as a twig and they can handle the rigors of the job so I am sure that you will do fine.
In over 23 years as a fire instructor at the tech college I have had both men and women of smaller stature than yours pass the fire cert classes and people much bigger fail. Desire, attitude, and the ability to find different safe ways to do some tasks all count in your favor.
I agree with a membership at the gym and working on upper body strength is a good idea.
If you really want to do this...just do it.
Good luck.
FyredUp
You tower over a lady who used to be on my volle dept. She is 4'11", about 90 lbs. She left just when I started, but she could pull hose with the best of the guys. Go for it!
I don't put a lot of stock into numbers for determining someone's ability. You sound fit, which is a plus. Beyond that, sheer determination does a bulk of it. If you get a copy of the CPAT course and the exercise tips along with it, you'll be able to work on muscle groups you don't use in daily activity. Good luck!
~Kevin
FF/Paramedic