MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - The Meridian Township Fire Department held a two-day training session testing their physical abilities at the Central Fire Station. The physical ability testing runs twice a year starting in the Spring in March an April to the Fall in September and October. There were many different obstacles including moving the water hoses, getting and setting the latter from the fire truck and a pulling a victim to safety. Each firefighter were timed while doing these tasks and supervised by a lead firefighter with a rank of Captain or higher.

HOMTV spoke with the lead firefighters after the training session for both days. Captian Derek Burcham said, “all of the tasks we do at each station is set up to mimic a task of what we do on a fire ground. It’s set up basically just to make sure that everyone is able to do the tasks and abilities that we encounter on the job everyday. It also helps the Township with the workmen’s compensation insurance, so they can show the insurance companies that everyone is able to do the job.”

Captain Matthew Walters, another Captain with the Meridian Township Fire Department stated that in the 22 years as a firefighter that, “perspective employees have to do this also to make sure they can do the job tasks that are required. There’s also a national standards now and different forms of it from state to state, and jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Since Firefighting and EMS is such a physical job, you have to do the job with everyday operations and do them efficiently.”

Walters also said that, “if you come back from an injury or any other event, we put you threw it so we know that you’re ready to go. The youngest person does the same thing as the oldest person and we all do the same things, but at different times.”