I met Laura Schnieder, our Fire and Rescue Community Outreach Coordinator, over at the Fire Academy recently to have a go at the physical agility course. This circuit is part of the application process that recruits go through for the Fire and Rescue Department.

The course is pretty intense. Here’s the rundown of everything you have to do in under seven minutes while wearing a 50-pound vest:

• carry a 100-foot hose up to the fourth floor of the burn building
• drag a fully charged hose 75 feet
• drag a 175-pound dummy 100 feet
• carry a fan 150 feet without lifting it on your shoulders or dropping it
• use a sledgehammer to move a 150-pound beam down a sled

>>Watch the Roam RoCo video on YouTube.

Going into the test, I felt like I could manage all the tasks, but time was what concerned me. However, I quickly realized the vest, which simulated the firefighter’s gear, was going to be a major problem. As someone with a smaller build, 50 pounds is a significant amount of weight to add, plus it made me quite top-heavy.

I knew pacing myself was going to be important, so I didn’t rush myself through the first two tasks. (Side note: I’d never been in the burn building before and it does in fact smell like they burn things in there all the time.)

When I got to the dummy drag, that’s when things started to turn. There is a lot of friction between the dummy and the concrete which makes it even harder to drag. As I was struggling, Capt. Nick Schmitt commented, “this is where most people regret coming out.” And, if I’m going to be honest, I was having second thoughts about this video idea. Even with some tips to carry the dummy, I still had to stop a lot which slowed my momentum.

I finished the dummy drag, but my legs and arms were turning to Jell-O.

The fan obstacle became much more of an obstacle because my body was so worn out from dragging the dummy. Again, I was stopping a lot to try to regain my strength which really ate into my time.

I got on the Kaiser Sled with 30 seconds left of my time and attempted to finish anyways, but my body was DONE. I swung the hammer a few times but knew that I didn’t have any strength left. I tapped out and then very quickly asked for help to get the 50-pound vest off.

Laura, however, was a different story. She had done the course once before and had been preparing for her rematch. It was awesome to watch her crush the course, but I won’t spoil her final time. Don’t hold your breath for a rematch of my own on the agility course!

Want more information about the recruiting process for Roanoke County Fire and Rescue? Check out their webpage here, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

>>Watch me run the Police Department's agility course.

Em Poertner is Roanoke County's Public Information Specialist. She hosts the Out of the Office podcast and Roam RoCo video series. If you have ideas for something to explore around Roanoke County, email her at epoertner@roanokecountyva.gov.