Oskaloosa Firefighters Conduct Reserve Testing

Josh Crouse is seen here during his reserve testing on Saturday

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Are you scared of heights? Do you feel like your wandering around?

Well if you were trying out to be a reserve firefighter for Oskaloosa, being afraid of heights, dragging hoses or fans, and feeling around in the dark for a person in distress are just a few of the things tested on Saturday.This training is done once a year around this time.

Reserve Firefighter Keith Brooks was helping put Josh Crouse through the paces during his testing on Saturday. Brooks, who enjoys being a reserve fighter as well, does it because he gets to do something not only for himself, but also his community, saying “It’s enjoyable.”

Crouse, who currently works as a paramedic, now is looking forward to his career and being a firemedic. Crouse said the testing is “kind of what I expected.” Crouse knows a few people who helped him have a general idea of what would be expected. “It shows that I’m out of shape,” Crouse said about the testing.

One of the parts of training includes having reservists find an “unconscious” victim. The victim is a 150 pound training dummy that the applicant must find and drag. That would seem easy enough, but the vision of the candidate is obscured simulating a smoke filled building. This also helps to determine if a candidate would have any claustrophobia issues.

Oskaloosa Fire Chief Mark Neff explained that the purpose of reserve testing is to help keep numbers of available reservists around 20.

Seven candidates auditioned for the six available positions. “It’s like hiring for any job,” Neff said. The interview process and agility test all play factors in his decision.

“We use this agility test if you’re testing for career or reserve. It’s the same test,” Neff also said. “Basically what we try to do is recreate some of our job functions that we have to do,” Neff said about the testing. “Things like climbing a ladder to see if a candidate is afraid of heights, to dragging a charged hose to demonstrate they have the physical strength.”