NEWS

Recent National Firefighter News: Safety, Training, and Health Updates (Summer 2025)

Station Alerting System Reduces Sleep Disruptions for Firefighters

The Hattiesburg Fire Department in Mississippi is implementing a new station-specific alerting system to improve firefighter wellness by cutting down unnecessary overnight wake-ups. Currently, an emergency call at night triggers alarms in all nine city fire stations – waking over 40 firefighters even if only one station’s crew is needed. The $97,000 upgraded system (funded by the county) will only notify the station assigned to the incident, allowing firefighters in other stations to continue sleeping. Officials say this targeted alerting will reduce chronic sleep deprivation that can harm health and safety – for example, being awakened just three times a night for 15+ minutes each time puts a person in a sleep-deprived state. Hattiesburg firefighters are currently roused an average of 2–3 times per night (and up to 9 times on busy nights) under the old system. By year’s end, all nine stations will have the new alerting system installed. Importantly, leaders note it won’t affect emergency response times or crew readiness – it will simply let off-duty crews stay rested so they’re healthier, safer, and more alert when it’s their turn to respond.
 

FIREFIGHTER TESTING:

Top 3 Reasons Candidates Fail the CPAT — And How to Overcome Them

Here is a summary of my newest post on FirefighterConnection.com. T

he article highlights the three main reasons firefighter candidates often struggle with the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) and provides strategies to overcome them:

1. Insufficient Cardiovascular Conditioning
 - Many candidates lack the endurance needed for the CPAT’s demanding, multi-event circuit. Building aerobic capacity through consistent cardio training is essential.

2. Weak Upper-Body and Grip Strength
 - The CPAT requires strong upper-body and grip strength for tasks like hose pulls and ladder raises. Strength and grip training can make the difference between passing and failing.

3. Unfamiliarity with the CPAT Format
 - Candidates often waste time or energy due to not knowing the structure of the CPAT’s eight events. Practice runs and familiarity with the sequence are critical.

How to Overcome These Challenges:

• Build Cardiovascular Endurance: Use interval training, stair-climbing, and weighted-vest workouts.
• Enhance Strength and Grip: Incorporate pull-ups, deadlifts, farmer’s carries, and sled drags.
• Familiarize with the Course: Run practice simulations to master pacing and transitions.

Why This Matters:

The CPAT isn’t just a test—it’s a measure of readiness for the fire service. By tackling these three challenges head-on, aspiring firefighters can improve their preparation and succeed with confidence.

Read the entire article at: https://firefighterconnection.com/top-3-reasons-candidates-fail-the-cpat-and-how-to-overcome-them/

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Wildland Firefighters Face Health Risks from Unprotected Smoke Exposure

Oklahoma National Guard wildland firefighters work to contain a blaze in Arizona during a training exercise (August 2025). A recent in-depth report highlights the dangerous health toll of wildfire smoke on firefighters who battle wildland fires without respiratory protection. Unlike urban firefighters who wear SCBA masks in burning buildings, wildland crews often have no effective respirators – at most a bandana over the face – even while working for weeks in heavy smoke. As a result, many are developing serious illnesses at relatively young ages. Firefighters in their 20s and 30s are reporting chronic respiratory issues, heart disease, and even aggressive cancers linked to prolonged smoke exposure. Decades of studies have shown wildfire smoke contains toxic particles that increase risks of lung and heart ailments, cancer, and premature death. Other wildfire-prone countries (like Canada, Australia, and Greece) now provide crews with half-face respirators or N95 masks that filter out ~99% of smoke particles. In the U.S., however, the federal wildland firefighting agencies have not yet adopted similar measures – the reports note that the U.S. Forest Service continues to send crews into wildfire smoke with virtually no respiratory protection, and has even resisted past calls to equip firefighters with masks or to monitor their smoke exposure. This issue is gaining national attention as firefighter advocacy groups push for better safety gear and health monitoring to protect wildland firefighters on the front line.

Sources: Recent reporting from FireRescue1, WDAM, the New York Times (via Spokesman-Review), and official investigation

NEW HIRE TESTING SUPPORT

New Course Release: The CPAT Success Blueprint

Are you preparing for the CPAT and feeling overwhelmed by where to start?

The CPAT Success Blueprint is here — a no-fluff, 15-minute-per-day training system built by retired Fire Chief Roger Waters, based on 32+ years of frontline firefighting and recruit training.

This powerful, printable guide will help you:

✅ Build firefighter-specific strength and muscular endurance
✅ Train for every CPAT event with at-home drills (no gym needed)
✅ Improve mental focus, pacing, and confidence on test day
✅ Use real-world tools, gear substitutes, and daily trackers to stay consistent
✅ Avoid the top 3 reasons candidates fail the test

Whether you're training from your garage, a park, or your apartment — this plan fits your life and your goals.

🧠 It's not just about muscles. You'll also train your mindset with proven breathing techniques, visualization, and a test-day dominance plan that prepares you to pass with confidence.

📥 Download it now and start today: 

🔥 Let this be the plan that gets you across the finish line — stronger, faster, and ready for the fire service.