Bridgeport fire department hiring to fill 50 positions
BRIDGEPORT — Fire departments around the country are struggling to attract new hires. But not Bridgeport it seems.
When Fire Chief Lance Edwards announced he was looking to fill 50 open positions in the Bridgeport Fire Department at a Feb. 9 press conference, he was expecting to get a few hundred people to sign up for a physical fitness exam over the next few days, called the Candidate Physical Ability Test, or CPAT.
It turned out that a lot of people are interested in becoming a Bridgeport firefighter.
“As of three hours ago, over 500 people have signed up to take this exam,” Edwards said.
The department is set to start accepting applications on Monday to fill open positions throughout the department, which is also making a push at increasing diversity within the ranks. And people have questions about pay, training and even grooming standards, all of which Edwards readily explained to Hearst Connecticut Media.
If someone wants to be a Bridgeport firefighter, all they need is a valid driver’s license, and at least a high school diploma or GED, Edwards said. Pay starts at $53,698 with health insurance and benefits. Firefighter training lasts 16 weeks, he said.
In order to become a firefighter, an applicant has to pass the CPAT exam. It consists of wearing a 50 pound vest and 25 pound weights approximating the feel of a 75 pound loadout. Because the test is physically demanding, applicants are not allowed to run. Applicants have 10 minutes and 20 seconds to complete several tasks, including stair climbing, handling a fire hose, using equipment, including ladders, and search and rescue.
Edwards said the CPAT is a tough test but the department has a training facility open to the public. People interested in joining can train there with instructors before taking the test. But Edwards said the CPAT isn’t designed to be hard for its own sake.
The training, he said, is supposed to push people to their limits.
“We want people to be challenged and really pushed to the brink of them even considering giving up because we don’t want anyone who is going to give up. We want people who are going to be able to push through perseverance,” he said.
Applicants might think that being a firefighter means that they’re constantly battling blazes, but Lt. Monique Moore, who also spoke at the conference, said the reality is different but no less crucial.
“Seventy percent of what we do are medical calls. One of the greatest things I found is a woman saw me on the street, she goes, ‘Oh my God, you saved my life.’ And I'm looking at her like, I don’t remember carrying her out of a building. And you know what was saving her life, we got her keys out of the elevator shaft. That was saving her life for her because everything she had was on those set of keys,” Moore said.
The fire department has recently released a YouTube video featuring Moore who explained her career and its impact on her as part of their outreach efforts.
Becoming a firefighter is hard on the muscles, but not on the wallet, Edwards said.
“We absorb 100 percent of the cost of the academy. They also get paid when they go to school. This is paid training,” Edwards said.
He recommends that potential applicants practice at the public facility, free of charge, before they take the CPAT test. This also goes for otherwise physically fit individuals. Just because someone is in good shape doesn’t mean they’re able to pass easily, he said.
What does matter more, is someone’s endurance level, he said.
The facility is also open to non-Bridgeport residents. Applicants don’t have a hard time passing the physical exam as long as they adequately prepare, he said. During a previous hiring push, 600 applicants took the physical exam and 400 passed. But after that, it’s a full time commitment, he said. People who attend the fire academy must stay at the fire academy Monday through Friday.
But applicants don’t get a do-over if they fail the written exam.
“It's one shot,” he said. Do applicants have to cut all their hair off in order to attend the fire academy? Edwards reassured people they can still keep their hair, but beards aren’t allowed.
“You cannot go through it with a beard. But you don't have to shave your head. You certainly want to be presentable,” Edwards said.
While Bridgeport is looking to hire more firefighters, Edwards said the department is not suffering from an employee exodus. As of now, there are 13 vacancies but the number is expected to grow over the next year as more employees are up for retirement.
The reason behind the retirements has little to do with COVID. Edwards said it has to do with hiring practices.
“Typically, in the past, historically Bridgeport and a lot of large municipalities hire in large blocks. So usually people retire in large blocks. That's the only reason,” he said.
But Edwards said that the department also wants a diverse workforce. He explained that a team made up of people who don’t look alike or think alike tends to perform better.
Now the department is making a concentrated push to hire more people of color. It just makes sense, especially when it comes to communication, Edwards said, noting that it’s good to have members who speak different languages.
Above all, Edwards said the department wants firefighters with heart and integrity.
“We're looking for people with high integrity and want to work in a diverse workforce and serve the residents here,” he said.