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CPAT Information for Recruit School
Chiefs
Alabama state
law places various legal obligations on fire fighter trainees, their
employing fire chiefs, and chiefs in charge of authorized recruit training
schools. State law also establishes penalties upon conviction for violation
of these obligations.
Legal
Obligations of Fire Fighter Trainees
Effective January 1, 2003 every Fire Fighter I certification student must
pass the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Successful CPAT results
are good for one (1) year
before entering a fire fighter recruit school.
Upon successful completion of CPAT, the fire fighter trainee will receive
an Alabama Fire College CPAT Form signed by the CPAT Exam Administrator. It
must be submitted to the employing fire chief for awareness and signature.
CPAT can be taken at eight locations throughout the state at various times
during the year. The actual test should be preceded by the candidate’s
attendance at an Orientation session approximately eight weeks prior to the
test.
More background information about the mandated CPAT can be found at this
Alabama Fire College web address:
http://www.alabamafirecollege.org/CPAT/cpat.htm. See also the “Frequently Asked
Questions for CPAT Candidates.”
Recruit School Chiefs
Host Chiefs in charge of recruit schools now have the added responsibility
to make sure that no student begins a recruit school before successful
completion of CPAT.
Each CPAT site administrator will sign and issue an Alabama Fire College
CPAT Form to each successful candidate, who will submit the Form to the
employing chief for signature and to the chief in charge of the recruit
school, who will verify that the CPAT date is within one(1) year. The chief in
charge of the recruit school will forward the completed Alabama Fire
College CPAT Form to Field Training Programs at the Alabama Fire College.
Effective immediately,
chiefs in charge of recruit schools must not allow the enrollment of any
trainee who has not submitted the above-referenced Alabama Fire College
CPAT Form, and copies of the trainee’s Notice of Employment or Sponsorship
Letter and Physical Statement.
The legal obligation for the employing fire chief to provide this
information is described in the Rules, Regulations, and Policies of the
Commission, available at
www.alabamafirecollege.org/regulations.htm.
Chiefs in charge of recruit schools should not have to wait for a copy of a
candidate’s Notice of Employment/Sponsorship Letter and Physical Statement.
Failure of the employing fire chief to submit a Notice of Employment or
Physical Statement for every new trainee in a career department within 10
days of employment is a misdemeanor violation of state law and is subject
to a $1000 fine upon conviction.
Failure of the chief in charge of the recruit school to submit all required
student documents to the Field Training Programs at the Alabama Fire College so that
they are received by 5 PM on the first day of the recruit school will result
in that student being declared ineligible for the class. If enough students
are ruled ineligible and the minimum number of students (8) cannot begin
the class, the recruit school will be terminated.
Preferred documentation sent to the Alabama Fire College can be original
forms or clear photocopies. Allow enough time for the mail to deliver the
documents to Tuscaloosa. Required documentation may be faxed to the Field
Training Programs at 205-343-7404, but if the received faxes are not completely
legible for all information, the documents will be rejected and the
affected candidate will be ruled ineligible.
Chiefs in charge of recruit schools can expect that candidates who have
passed the CPAT will be physically fit to perform as required in training.
If a candidate is struggling physically in an unexpected way during the
early weeks of recruit school, this information should be forwarded to the
Alabama Fire College Field Training Programs for re-verification of the submitted
CPAT Form.
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