Keith Bryant
The Bella Vista Fire Department put new recruits through their paces Friday with tests for their bodies, minds and nerves.
Fire Chief Steve Sims said that applicants had to pass a written test first, before moving on to a tall ladder climb to test for fear of heights, followed by a session wearing a mask and navigating a dark maze in order to test for claustrophobia.
Following that, he said, they moved on to a physical test, where they had 8 minutes to complete a round of drills.
"Everything that's done on that test is what's done on a fire scene," Sims said.
Applicants raised a ladder, as well as attached a hose to a hydrant and then pulled the hose. They beat a Keiser sled with a hammer to simulate hacking a ventilation hole in a roof, then pulled a ladder from the side of a fire engine, walked around with it, then put it right back on the truck. They also pulled a 180-pound mannequin to simulate hauling a fellow firefighter to safety.
Sims said he'd like to start interviewing the applicants who passed these tests within the next week. Those who interview well, he said, will end up on the department's hiring list.
The department has one opening right now, he said, and has exhausted its hiring list. Because the list is emptied, he said, it's a good time to start testing potential hires.
Applicant Ross Hanes came all the way from Jay, Okla., to test for the Bella Vista Fire Department.
At the tail end of the test, he tugged the mannequin uphill, huffing and sweating, as the Bella Vista firefighters administering the test shouted encouragement.
Hanes said he's currently working full time on an ambulance in Jay and Grove, but working for a fire department is ultimately a better opportunity.
"It's a rough life," he said of the ambulance service, "and backs don't handle it so well."
Working for a fire department in Northwest Arkansas, he said, could prove an excellent opportunity.
Applicant Garrett Staggs is from Rogers, but he said he's been interested in joining the Bella Vista Fire Department for a while.
"Me and my fiance are planning on finding a place here," he said.
Staggs said he likes Bella Vista quite a bit, and it doesn't hurt that his grandmother lives here.
He's also heard good things about the Bella Vista Fire Department, he said, and it would be very nice to live near his workplace.
He just got licensed as an EMT, he said, and he's been training to tackle the department's test.
"I've been wanting a job here for a long time," he said.
General News on 01/25/2017