These tests were similar to the ones they would need to pass if they went on the selection dates in August, which are being held at the Fire Service College. The event, organised by Watch Manager Terry Coupar, was for the whole of the South and Vale area and took in hopefuls from as far as Wantage. The budding firefighters began by climbing a 13.5m ladder and performed a ‘leg lock’, which involves wrapping a foot around a rung and leaning backwards to ensure they were not frightened of heights
The second test was to pull a 70kg dummy around a square course and carry heavy items from one side of the yard to the other as part of a shuttle run. The final tests involved running out and making up the lengths of hose – by rolling them neatly as fast as possible. This requires a lot of fitness and also good technique as well. Marcus Reay, station manager for Goring, Wallingford, Watlington and Henley, said: ‘We asked members of the public to come down and have a go at the tests they will be doing at selection. It’s making sure they are not frightened of heights and testing their strength and cardio fitness. The real tests will be a little harder but we wanted to give them a flavour of what the real tests will involve. We are very pleased with how the day went and all the candidates were very enthusiastic and willing to learn.’ Ryan Bonner, 22, of Wallingford Road, Goring, is an on-call firefighter at the station and a home and community safety advisor for the service. He said: ‘I’ve been a firefighter for two years and love the variety as well as the practical and team aspects. I found out about it by going down to my local station. I’m able to do my day job and do firefighting in my spare time.’ On-call firefighters must live or work within five minutes of their local station. They are paid for their time on both incidents and training.
