HOW TO BECOME A VOLUNTARY FIREFIGHTER

To join the Trento District Volunteer Fire Department in active service, you must:

• Fill out the application form, which will then be evaluated by the Brigade Executive Committee;
• Passing the medical examinations conducted by the Medical Officer;
• Pass the physical and aptitude tests at the headquarters of the Permanent Fire Department in Trento;
• Complete the Basic course within one year of the date of hire;
• You must be a resident of the municipality of Trento, otherwise you will need an exemption from the Mayor and the District Inspector.

MEDICAL VISIT

The medical examination includes a general check-up to ensure that the candidate is in good health. At the time of the medical examination, the aspiring traffic police officer must not have any disabilities that would prevent them from carrying out their duties.

THE FIRST EMPLOYMENT VISIT

Prospective volunteer firefighters must book appointments through the Health Authority's CUP (Centralized Appointment Service) for health checks (ECG, spirometry, cardiological examination) and a medical examination with the APSS (Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Verona, Provincial Health Authority) doctor of Hygiene and Public Health (general physical examination, hearing test, and vision test).¹). You must therefore go to the local blood collection centers, even without an appointment, to have the blood tests indicated on the medical form and, once you have all the results, undergo the examination. The costs of all tests and the medical examination are covered by the Provincial Fire Department and are therefore free of charge for aspiring firefighters and the Corps if carried out at the facilities and laboratories of the Health Authority. Certifying the good health of the new recruit is a guarantee and protection for the Commander.

Every five years, the medical examination must be repeated in order to continue active service.

FIVE-YEAR RECALLS

Once the medical examination has expired, the traffic officer on duty must go to their family doctor to renew their fitness certificate, bringing the request signed by their commander.

¹ Minimum natural or corrected visual acuity must not be less than 14/10 overall, as the sum of the visual acuity of both eyes, with no less than 6/10 in the eye with the poorer vision; correction with lenses of any dioptric value is permitted. In the case of correction with lenses, the natural visual acuity must not be less than 6/10 overall, with no less than 2/10 in the eye with the poorer vision.

These tests are held monthly at the headquarters of the Permanent Corps of Trento or the Volunteer Corps of the Province, in the presence of the Fire Brigade Training Manager.

The tests are divided into two parts: four basic exercises for firefighters and three tests in the gym.

The four fundamental exercises are:

• 20 minutes of running without interruption
• balance beam
• claustrophobia test
• climbing the stairs to the control tower

The exercises in the gym are:

• 3 trazioni
• 3 parallel bars
• rope climbing or pole climbing

Those who pass the medical examinations and aptitude tests become fully-fledged firefighters, but will not be able to carry out interventions until they have passed the basic training course.