TOUGH TEST PUTS APPLICANTS' FEET TO THE FIRE

The race to become a Cape Girardeau firefighter Tuesday was a walk.

"I don't think you could make it if you ran," said Greg Hecht, one of 23 who went through a physical endurance test to become a firefighter Tuesday.

The test, which involves swinging a sledgehammer, dragging a dummy and five other tasks, which must be completed in seven minutes. In the past, some candidates ran from one event to the next, but this year everyone kept a conservative pace, said Fred Vincel, training officer.

Sixteen completed the test Tuesday. One man was given oxygen and taken to a hospital at his request, another began throwing up.

"It's a good thing that the weather was mild today," Vincel said. "We would have lost a few more."

Few tasks test upper body strength, but together they make great demands on leg strength and overall stamina, Vincel said. The seven tasks are:

* Swinging a six-pound sledgehammer to move a railroad tie about six feet

* Taking a ladder off a fire engine and putting it back

* Pulling a 200-foot hose 200 feet

* Placing an extension ladder against a wall

* Expanding an extension ladder with a rope

* Walking up and down two flights of stairs with an 85-pound pack of equipment

* Dragging a 154-pound dummy 120 feet

The group of 23 put on turnout coats, helmets and air tanks before attempting the test. They had been narrowed down from 35 who took a two-hour written exam, Vincel said.

The test was appropriate for the job, said Hecht, a volunteer firefighter in Altenburg, Mo.

"It should test your stamina," he said. "A firefighter is supposed to be fit to serve the public."

The chief of the Patton Fire Department kept a steady pace throughout the test, stumbling only in the last three feet of the dummy drag. Other than regular exercise, Bill Vandeven said little could be done to prepare for the firefighting test.

"No matter how good a shape you're in, you're going to feel this at the end of the day," he said.

The 16 who passed will go through oral exams to determine their rank for job openings. Vincel expects at least one to be hired in the next three weeks.

The last time firefighting application tests were given was two years ago, said Michael Morgan, Cape Gir-ardeau fire marshal. The city is considering conducting an annual test, so that lists of potential job candidates will be fresh.