SPECIALIZED CPAT PREP PROGRAMS

I'm Michael Stefano, author of The Firefighter's Workout Book (Harper Collins 2000), and recently retired captain (FDNY). I specialize in transforming young men and women into New York City firefighters.

Twenty years spent battling blazes on the mean streets of Brooklyn taught me thing or two about the physical demands of structural firefighting. Are you ready to go from zero to 60 in an instant? If not, please read on.

GRUELING PHYSICAL ENTRANCE EXAM: step one
The FDNY continues to set the standard on fire department physicals, and the next exam seems to be no exception. Municipalities across the country have copied the style and intensity of this sequential, extremely demanding, 8-event mini-marathon that includes a 75 LB weighted vest.

With that type of workload, you must develop your physical ability on both the strength AND endurance front. Really strong, or a lot of stamina alone won't cut it. You've got to develop a quality known as strength/endurance, which is simply strength that endures. Without it, you're doomed to failure.

WHAT'S NEXT: more testing
If you get past the brutal physical, you're not actually hired until being put through a battery of interviews and a comprehensive medical that includes another graded step mill. This time you'll be required to step just over 5 minutes while wearing a 50 pound vest - strapped to a heart rate monitor! If the candidates heart rate exceeds a pre-determined limit, he or she is immediately rejected as a possible candidate. Overweight candidates aren't even allowed to test until getting down to size (very strict standards).

THE FIRE ACADEMY: the national standard
Even after you're sworn in, the FDNY wants to know its probies are up to the task of fighting fires, and the training academy is where they intend to find out. In addition to the day-to-day exercise, as well as life-like drills and lectures, you're expected to pass 4 difficult physical tests on the first day!

Failure to complete a mile and a half mile run in under 12 minutes is cause for dismissal -- no questions asked! No wonder the dropout rate is nearly 20 percent and expected to double as the city plans to extend training to 6 months. By far, Probie School is the toughest part of the hiring process, and probably the most difficult task you'll ever encounter.

So how do you prepare for such extreme demands?
After working one-on-one with dozens of candidates, I've developed an on target, task-specific program that will bring you up to the FDNY's tough physical standards. We'll even train OUTDOORS, recreating the actual CPAT test events, and fire academy daily routines.

Utilizing timed, loaded circuits, I'll get you ready for whatever the FDNY can throw at you. From pull ups, push ups, sit ups, running, and calisthenics to handling high pressure hose lines, climbing stairs, crawling, searching, wearing a SCBA, handling heavy equipment, or TAKING ANY TEST... you'll be ready. My training regimens are specifically designed to make you a stronger, faster, and more powerful firefighting machine.

My programs directly address your firefighter skills in a gym, as well as outdoor setting. Any weight loss issues are simultaneously managed with diet and the right type of exercise. The strength, endurance, balance, coordination, and mobility developed will spill over from the gym into your firefighting abilities. Pulling hose, forcing entry, search and rescue are skills that need to be developed in a simple gym environment, and then transferred to real life. My program does exactly that!

I offer FDNY prep, one-on-one, firefighter buddy, and group sessions. You can also host workshop at your local firehouse. I'll show up at your facility fully equipped to conduct a workshop with a dozen (or even more) participants. Prices vary with programming and the number of firefighters participating. Firefighter-family programs are also available.

Mike Stefano owns and operates , a fully equipped firefighter / rescue worker, strength and conditioning program on Long Island's south shore (15 miles from the New York City line). Specializing in firefighter-specific fitness, Mr. Stefano is also ACE certified, and the American Kettlebell Club, Fire-Rescue Advisor, with expertise in all areas of functional strength and conditioning.

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