If you ever find yourself floating in a sea of discontentment, disillusioned about your job, what has become of it and looking toward the end of your career hardly able to wait for the day to come when you can leave it all behind, do what I did yesterday.
For twelve hours I watched one candidate after another perform the State of Rhode Island’s Physical Ability Test for Firefighter Candidates. The RI Association of Fire Chiefs developed and implements the process. Chief’s of Departments from all over Rhode Island volunteered their weekends to assist with the testing procedure, and observe. Providence, Warwick, Pawtucket, Cumberland, East Greenwich and a few other chiefs worked the course yesterday, replacing charged hoselines, putting ladders back in place, assisting candidates with their weighted vests and offering encouragement.
It was good to see the brass dressed in weekend clothes humping hose and talking to the potential recruits, who probably had no idea the guy dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt getting them a cup of water was somebody far more important than they appeared.
Over a hundred people took part in the testing process yesterday, more today and still more next weekend. Some excelled. Some failed. Every one of them gave 100% for a chance at a job that those of us on the inside sometimes take for granted.
Great job everybody! (except for the Rescue Guys who held up the entire process for twenty minutes because they just had to drive across the city to get the “1/2 off Firefighter Discount” at a local sandwich shop.)
But my buddy TOTWTYTR is still out there doing his thing, and he had these words of wsoidm to offer as well: