nashville or bust

[milkman1]

anyone know anything new about nashville like a final count of applicants? is the physical agility just pass or fail or is it counted into your overall score just curious not rally that important im just excited to go to tennessee i love that state. good luck everyone

[Tnfiremedic]

heard about 800. Don't know about agility.

Read

eatstress.com

Don McNea fire school

[CFerd20]

so i'm still wondering, is the agility the same day as the written test. I know that it said in the notice, but I don't really see how they could process that many people for two tests in one day, even if they split it up.

[jonathanj003]

so i'm still wondering, is the agility the same day as the written test. I know that it said in the notice, but I don't really see how they could process that many people for two tests in one day, even if they split it up.

It looks like everyone from out of town (of some distance) was scheduled for their CPAT and written on the same day--I guess to help the out-a-towners out a bit. Most everyone that is local (or somewhat local) has taken his/her written and will take the CPAT the last week of May/first week of June.

And what they told us during the written was that the PAT would be combined with your written score to give you an overall score and thus a ranking on where you stand.

[CFerd20]

ahhh, okay. that makes sense.

[CFerd20]

so is it the standard CPAT??? or do they have their own variation?

[dsmns27]

Would someone that knows please tell of what the nashville pat consists of. When i took the written test all that was said was that it is the same as the one 3 years before with an aerial climb. I did not take the one prior so other than the aerial climb i have no idea. Also is there a time limit on each section.

[nwadler]

I too am looking for information regarding the test. I have 1 week till I make the trip down and would like some more info. I have been working on getting ready for about 3 weeks and am able to make it through the stair portion with 65lbs. I dont think I will have an issue even though it will not be easy.

[golffer]

I was told the agility test consists of climbing an aerial in full gear and lift various objects and placing them in certain areas. I was just wondering if we have to use their gear or can we bring our own gear.

[dsmns27]

I was told that after the scores are made on tests and the list is made that if a candidate is not at least in the top 100 the chances of getting in a class before the list expires is very slim. Just wondering if there is any truth to this. Also does anyone know if the ranking on the list is made of just the written and pat scores or does education,experience, interview and location help with points also.

[capt107efd]

Ok, I hate to sound like a wuss, but i have somewhat a fear of heights. Ill climb, ride, whatever during a fire scene or emergency no problem. But to climb an aerial just for the fun of it is not my cup of tea. Can someone please tell us if this is a true cpat or just made up. I am over 500 miles from Nashville and if it is a true 102 ft Aerial id like to know so i dont waste my time and money. $3.19 a gallon is not cool. Thanks guys, and I know im a wuss....Lol Thanks again!!

[WCENG23]

Ladder climb is required. Not sure of the rest.

[nwadler]

I dont like to reproduce emails sent to me but all I did was email someone in training and they sent me an email with all the specs including pay, benefits and the whole process. The ladder is only 85ft

[CFerd20]

okay, so there is an aerial climb, what else is being tested in the agility??

[outdoorgirl30]

I'm hearing that a lot of people are having the pat and the written on the same day, but I only got notice for the written...did anyone else just receive notice for the written? I am already here in Nashville and hoping I did not miss it...

[dsmns27]

I took the written exam on 4/25. they told us the pat for locals would be scheduled the last week of may and first week of june. As of today i recived nothing by email or mail telling me when the pat is or what my staus was on the written test.

[outdoorgirl30]

Thanks for the information! I got there and took my test and no pat so I guess I will get my e-mail just like the locals. I live about 7 hours away so I was not quite sure if I was considered in close proximity or not. But good luck to you dsmns! Hope to see you at the pat!

[dsmns27]

I have nashville pat next week still know nothing but the aerial climb, please someone must know what else is on the test.

[capt107efd]

Was it me or wa that a VERY VERY stupid test? To me it was pointless and worthless. I drove over 1100 miles over the past two days and spent money on fuel and a hotel to leave very disappointed....I think those type of test are worthless and have no reason to be given to a firefighter....how about the question driving down the road and trying to figure how long it will take till you get there...or trying to pry the nail out of the board and how much pressure or whatever it will take? Freakin stupid....and to answer ur question about the physical part...if you get past the 85 ft. ladder climb ur in!! As far as im concerned civil service tests like that are a complete joke!

[CFerd20]

can anyone break down what the agility consists of ???

[tennisblazer2]

there is the 85ft aerial climb, pass/fail. then climbing up and down 2 flights of stairs with a rill of hose on your shoulder, dragging 100ft of hose, lifting 40lbs up on a platform about 4 ft off the ground and putting it back down, and dummy drag of 50ft, dummy weighs 175 lbs. there you are

[dsmns27]

Thanks for the breakdown. The aerial climb is pass/fail but does your time affect your final points and is there a time limit. Also is there a time limit on the other parts are is it just when you finish is the your time. Do you go immediatley from the aerial climb to the other parts are is there a break and did you have to wear any type of weight device like a vest or gear. THanks

[WaterbryVTfire]

Does anyone know if and or when any surrounding depts. are hiring? Like Murfreesboro, Franklin, Hendersonville, Lebanon?

[outdoorgirl30]

this might not help much but might get you started...the lt. at the written explained there will be a
1. high rise pack carry 3 story
2. fan placement - up to the table and down 2 times
3. dummy drag - 175lbs.

that is what I know for sure. im pretty sure he said in 6 minutes. there might be one more event that I am missing but i am pretty sure that is it, can't quite remember the details like how long you have to drag the dummy...sory but hope that helps. good luck!

[SgtScott31]

NFD is one of the most political agencies I have seen. I don't mean to sound hypocritical, but I was born and raised in Nashville. I tested with NFD over 10 years ago. As far as it sounds, the written and physical agility are still the same. If everything is still the same as it was back then, if you don't know someone with the agency or not a minority, your chances are extremely slim. Having an EMT license will possibly help.

The TN Highway Patrol had a huge shake-up because of the politics involved in getting hired. To be honest, they couldn't touch NFD in comparison.

Again, that was several years ago, and hopefully things have changed, but from talking with other FF's with NFD, it doesn't sound like it.

[milkman1]

i got the feeling like they did it as a formality they did not put much effort into it at all some proctors let guys run others would only let walk during the hose pull one of three hoses came uncoupled so the guy only pulled one hose (not his fault) but knocked a good 15-20 sec off then he finished the course and the chiefs like oh well guess u got lucky. physical was far from standardized im pretty dissapointed in the way it turned out. i dont think they care for us yankees lol. but anyway u have 5 min to get up and down the ladder u cant stop 4 more than 5 sec once down u go directly to stair climb 3 runs of stairs (not stories) than walk dont run to a 4/ 50 ft hoses and drag one end downhill 200 ft than walk to a very small fan maybe 30 - 40 ponds set it on a shelf nipple level and backon the ground then drag a 180 pound dummy 50 feet must drag dummy backwards to finish line if anyone has doubts about the aerial dont let it scare u it is meant to be a confidence builder in the academy and its actually very beautiful at the top total count on applicants i heard was 1400 they are going to hire a lot of locals is what i was told but good luck everyone and i live in michigan if anyone hears about a test and wants to carpool next time getta hold of me there was like 50 people from mi an ohio

[milkman1]

hey dont anyone get offended by the yankee reference when i was down there i got to talkin with a guy that told me nash ville and much of tennessee is full of old money and old ways and he literally said to me no offense but your a yankee and because of that u will have a hard time getting work here. in spite of that i had a great time down there and everyone was very friendly so take it for what its worth

[CFerd20]

yea milk i'm from MI too, I woulda went with but I kinda screwed myself by spraining my thumb, I can't even lift up a glass of water so I decided to pass up the test, oh well but yea if there's any more testing down there i'm in.

[dsmns27]

I also fely like my test was just a formality. They already know who they want on the top of the list. People that knew the instructors were all talking and joking, a lotta politics going on. As mentioned before my proctor told me no running, but people before me were running between the hose pull and the fan lift and when i was leaving also saw people running. Classic fire department politics. Who u know and who u blow gets u in.

[Leatherlung1]

I hear all yall talking about people running during the test and its making me sad for you. When I took it I asked the Firefighter if I could walk fast and he said yes. So I walked as fast as I could which may have looked as if I was running. The rules said walk not take your sweat time. You can't blame anyone but yourself for not doing well. Firefighting is not for everyone. If you can't handle this process what makes you think you can handle the floor? What kind of times did everyone get? I was well under two minutes on both tests.

[nwadler]

I didnt really see much of the running but felt the test was not too bad. I was wondering if my time was that bad compared to others who took it. I got a 3 minutes of the timed portion and 2 min 25 sec on the ladder climb. I am also a yankee but am originally from the south. I hope that this does not hurt me but we will see come july.

[jonathanj003]

I didnt really see much of the running but felt the test was not too bad. I was wondering if my time was that bad compared to others who took it. I got a 3 minutes of the timed portion and 2 min 25 sec on the ladder climb. I am also a yankee but am originally from the south. I hope that this does not hurt me but we will see come july.

2:24 on the ladder climb (which doesn't matter since it's a pass/fail).
1:52 on the timed events

While I was there I saw a 1:50 from an earlier session and I heard of a 1:47 from someone after me that day. Most everything else that I am hearing is 2:30-3:00 minute marks as far as average wise.

Anyone else?

[nwadler]

I guess I have not much hope on placing high on the list then

[dsmns27]

Does anyone know what is the next stage of the process. Does everyone get an interview or just some if so when, and do they let you know your final standings on the list after the whole process or do they just pick who they want for a class and you wait.

[Harrison1]

I am a yank as well but I stayed after quite a while waiting for a cab. I must have spoke to four instructors for a long time. All of them gave me alot of advice and were more then friendly. It's all about how you present yourself. one instructor did mention that they will be pushing for minorities. I ran on alot of the events and I was only warned once. just be friendly to everyone at the test, listen when their speaking and show your determination. No probs.

[SgtScott31]

Does anyone know what is the next stage of the process. Does everyone get an interview or just some if so when, and do they let you know your final standings on the list after the whole process or do they just pick who they want for a class and you wait.

The way it was in the past, they would interview those that scored an 8 or higher on the written and physical agility combined. When I interviewed (close to 10 yrs ago), there were some political candidates and/or minorities who did not score 8 or higher, so they ended up interviewing all 450 applicants. It was the shortest interview I had ever attended. I felt like I was just wasting their time, even with a 9 on the testing and some college and EMS/Rescue experience.

[dsmns27]

So how do you find out what your score is. If you dont hear something by a certain time then you can guess that you didnt get an interview. Does location, education and experience also play a role in your score or is it strictly just the written and pat scores and of course if your a minority.

[milkman1]

I hear all yall talking about people running during the test and its making me sad for you. When I took it I asked the Firefighter if I could walk fast and he said yes. So I walked as fast as I could which may have looked as if I was running. The rules said walk not take your sweat time. You can't blame anyone but yourself for not doing well. Firefighting is not for everyone. If you can't handle this process what makes you think you can handle the floor? What kind of times did everyone get? I was well under two minutes on both tests.

now i know im just a big dumb firefighter but i know the difference between a fast walk and a run my gripe was that a standardized test should be just that standard to quote big daddy same set of rules no matter what age like if the guy setting the test up doesnt couple the hoses correctly and they come apart during the test it then changes the playing field for that candidate or if a guy thats 6foot 2 can take bigger steps than a woman 4foot 8 then its not equal when both are told to walk they should just let us sign waivers and have everyone run or it should just be pass or fail.at least then the blame falls on the person who didnt train hard enough instead of being railroaded by the faulty process. its the first time i have seen a testing process like this and it was dissapointing to see the dept has not evolved enough to see the flaws in there process but that said its over and done with so my life goes on regardless of the outcome and every test i take no matter how disorganized or how good or bad i do is a positive learning experience for me

I was told you would get a letter either way by mid july

[Leatherlung1]

has anyone heard anything yet from HR? They said July right?

[Tnfiremedic]

It's the government, and it's only the third of July. Don't expect anything until at least September. Be patient.

[Lakerpyro318]

In the top 200 and made it to the interview. Cant wait. How did everyone else do.

[tennisblazer2]

so do they interview the top 200? how many are they hiring supposedly? im in the top 200 also, just wondering.

[Lakerpyro318]

The email states anyone with a 7 or higher will be getting an interview. SO it should say in your email that you got.

[milkman1]

yeah im top 200 as well. though no word on how many there plannin on hirin/ i scored an 8 out of 10 my guess is thats fairly average and the real weed out process is yet to come with the interview/lie detector/background check

[Bcat88]

Milk and others, I appreciated your posts around the physical, check out the hello has anyone heard board under the Tennessee thread if you haven't already, there are some NFD guys posting/answering who have a little more info in regards to class size and hiring. What do you think it would it have taken to get a 9?, not that it matters now. Good Luck.

[nwadler]

I too received my results. I am in the interview category with an 8 out of 10. I have heard some things on here about how the ranking does not matter much once you get to the interview stage. Is this or is this not true?

[tennisblazer2]

i got a 9 out of 10, does anyone know when the interview would likely be?

[rblad07]

not a clue any word on how many are gonna be hired????

[Bcat88]

..............

[wrb2000]

I also scored 9.0. The email said I was tied for 32nd. Hope this is the beginning of something good!

[dsmns27]

I will give nashville the credit that no one seemd to know what the h$**L is going on with recruitment. I first moved here four years ago going on that i was told by hr and fire personnel a hiring process would be in spring 2006,and county residents would be chosen first and here it is summer 2007 and have not even done interviews and still yet when you ask someone you get a different response each time. One person tells me they will only interview those chosen for a class, another tells me they will interview all in the outsstanding group, another tells they will only interview 100. When you ask HR they tell you it is up to the fire department when to and how to choose interviews, but when you ask the a fire personnel they tell you it is up to hr to finalize the list. Would somebody that actually knows facts please post a reply as to when they anticipate starting interviews and how will they choose who to interview. Thanks

[tennisblazer2]

Congrats on the 9, what do you think pushed you over the hump?
Did it note how many 9's you tied with?
If there are 186+ 8's, is there a 7 score out there that can post the number of 7's so as to get an idea as to the total number being interviewed? Thanks

thanks, i dont know how many 9s there are, i am tied for 3_. i dont know how i got a 9, maybe my written was descent, i did pretty good on the physical, but definately not the best.

[milkman1]

im kind of curious as to what the tied for 1** place means does that mean me and another guy are tied or me and 300 guys are tied because those tests were not specific enough to narrow us down that much so my guess is anyone that got say an 80% or above on the written and an average to above average time on the physical is lumped into this "outstanding category" i dont know ill just wait to here ive been skeptical all along on the whole thing so i dont have my hopes up yet for even an interview till i get confirmation i was just thinking about it today and everyone i met that day seemed just like me same training same education level and same fitness level so it just seemed really odd to me that im sittin at 1** place with just one other guy out of 1400 people i dont know but at least were all in the same boat congrats and good luck keep in touch

[milkman1]

check out the hello has anyone heard board under the Tennessee thread if you haven't already, there are some NFD guys posting/answering .

thanks for the heads up b-cat that def answered a few questions i had. engmed32 sounds like he knows what hes talkin about which makes 1 of us lol be cool.
milk

[wilson247]

I got a 9 out of 10 and am tied for 32nd. Sounded good to me until I told a friend who is retired from NFD and he said I could be tied with one other person or it could be 50, who knows, I guess that's still ok.

[medicff32]

Hey all I was wondering if anyone has heard anything on the EMS side of the Department and when they might be hiring Paramedics and how many. Thanks


Greg

[Casimer]

Wow I have to be the highest # 422 and a score of 7.00. Three of my buddies and me went down and took the test and one guy is tied for 1st, 32nd, and 164th. The four of us are on a Small Vol. dept and have been testing togther at a few places. All of our test scores from other tests are really close and this score really chapped my a##. I am not douting that I could have done that bad but with all of our other tests being so closes and this one so bad ? But anyways what about the Physical score ? Wasnt that score supposed to be added into our total score? I had a 1:52 on the physical and was told that that was the best score yet (with 2 days left), does that count towards anything. My bud who has 1st was over 2 min and had a really hard time with the physical, so maybe it doesnt go into your written score. So does anyone know if we have a interview or is the "Appointing Authority of NFD" just going off of written scores. Also when I was down there for the test and talking to others I was told that 2 tests before they just hired off writtens? Really?

[rblad07]

I Dont Know What They Are Going Off Of Or What My Written Test Score Was But My Rank Was Tied For 18_ And My Physical Test Time Was 1.43 Looks Like For Someone Who Will Be Running Into Burning Buildings Mostly Would Usually Be Graded More On Phsical Ability Than Written Test Scores I Dono?????????????????????????

[jonathanj003]

Wow I have to be the highest # 422 and a score of 7.00. Three of my buddies and me went down and took the test and one guy is tied for 1st, 32nd, and 164th. The four of us are on a Small Vol. dept and have been testing togther at a few places. All of our test scores from other tests are really close and this score really chapped my a##. I am not douting that I could have done that bad but with all of our other tests being so closes and this one so bad ? But anyways what about the Physical score ? Wasnt that score supposed to be added into our total score? I had a 1:52 on the physical and was told that that was the best score yet (with 2 days left), does that count towards anything. My bud who has 1st was over 2 min and had a really hard time with the physical, so maybe it doesnt go into your written score. So does anyone know if we have a interview or is the "Appointing Authority of NFD" just going off of written scores. Also when I was down there for the test and talking to others I was told that 2 tests before they just hired off writtens? Really?

FYI that is a good physical score but not the best with two days remaining as you were told. I personally did a 1:51, a friend of mine did a 1:47 and I watched someone else while I was there with a 1:49. Still, that is a good score.
~
I'm sure I did well on the written as well. In in the '9 out of 10 category tied for 32nd.'

[Casimer]

FYI that is a good physical score but not the best with two days remaining as you were told. I personally did a 1:51, a friend of mine did a 1:47 and I watched someone else while I was there with a 1:49. Still, that is a good score.
~
I'm sure I did well on the written as well. In in the '9 out of 10 category tied for 32nd.'

When I was waiting to take the written one of the chiefs was talking about the physical and said that he had the record @ 1:40 and he was like 40 yrs. old. So I think anyone under 2:00 did a good job. I just wanted people to post their best time to see where I stood. Not sure if anyone else heard the same about the times and the record?

[wilson247]

Seems to me that in order to break the 2 minute mark, you're going to have to do some running. But that's just one man's opinion.

[derekm2j]

I also tied for 32 with a 1:52 on the physical. I also have a four year degree, does that help?

[jonathanj003]

Seems to me that in order to break the 2 minute mark, you're going to have to do some running. But that's just one man's opinion.


I'm not saying that I ran or anyone else did. I do know that if you 'run' you are given a warning. So, common sense says to push it to the limit of that which you are warned and then back it down just slightly....and THAT is the pace that you keep.

You have to take advantage of everything you can... Just one man's opinion.

[rblad07]

i think you should be able to run,jump,skip,walk,or crawl if you want too and if you tire out thats your own fault any one else feel the same way

[wilson247]

Is anyone familiar with Metro's processes regarding background checks and the voice stress analysis?

[Leatherlung1]

Voice stress analysis? I didn't know they use this. Is this for sure? I didn't think anyone was using this style of test just the polygraph. Can anyone clear this up? Has anyone gotten a date yet?

[wilson247]

A friend of mine is trying to get on with Metro PD and he had to take a CVSA. I would assume if someone is trying to get on with Metro FD, then the same technology would be used. I could be wrong, but it makes sense to me!

[wilson247]

I currently work with a guy that's trying to get on with Metro PD and he had to take a CVSA. Based on that I'm assuming that candidates for FD will have to take the same thing.

[Leatherlung1]

Has anyone received any more news about interviews or this deception test?

[rblad07]

not a word

[dsmns27]

I've heard nothing. Word of advise. Dont call metro hr and ask them. They just redirect your call to someone else and nobody ever answers and each person sounds PO'd when you ask them about the fire position. Semms to me that if they are tired of people calling about it then maybe they should get along with it or post something on metro fire's website about the current status of the process like all other large metro fire sites do.

[Leatherlung1]

Don't call for any reason until your further in the process. A buddy of mine tested #1 on my department and he called HR too many times they took him off the list. Two Battalion Chiefs and the Ass. Chief told me this first hand. DON'T CALL!

[dsmns27]

Thanks for the advice. I've only called once, but i will not be calling again.

[wilson247]

I remember when I took the written test, the HR rep said "do not call". So it would probably be safe to assume that you shoudn't call and if you do they're not going to tell you anything. The HR rep at my test also said that there would be no hiring done any earlier than in the fall. Fall is next month, so I suspect we'll be hearing something in a week or two. We'll just have to sit tight and wait it out.

[golffer]

What Im wondering is how many people are ranked the same. I have a buddy that is ranked #1, just wondering how many others are ranked #1. Im ranked 32nd also wondering how many other are ranked #32.

[wilson247]

What Im wondering is how many people are ranked the same. I have a buddy that is ranked #1, just wondering how many others are ranked #1. Im ranked 32nd also wondering how many other are ranked #32.

The consensus is that there are 31 tied for 1st and 154 tied for 32nd. Check out the thread under Tennessee "hello has anyone heard". There has been some lively debate on that discussion.

[milkman1]

well boys you can count me out of the running cuz i just got hired to another dept i was testing for but good luck to all of you and wow this is so much easier to say now but persistance pays off

[dsmns27]

congrats. Is it a department in tn

[Bcat88]

Glad to hear it, sure you'll be a solid FF. Best of luck, take care.

[milkman1]

no its in ky. but i started this thread and i am definately going to keep my eye on it to see how u guys progress so keep me posted. and damn u work so hard to get it and it is completely worth it ive been walking on a cloud since i heard so dont anyone give it up its tough but i am far from the perfect applicant if i can make it so can u
be cool boys
milkman1

[milkman1]

wel i got my letter yesterday for an interview so check ure mailboxes

[nwadler]

I also just received my letter for an interview. Well its one step closer.