Major test for Tulsa Fire cadets

Friday, February 10th 2006, 6:07 am

By: News On 6

35 Tulsa fire cadets took a major test Friday as part of their training to become fulltime Tulsa firefighters. All they had to do was climb up several stories wearing full firefighting gear, but wasn't as easy as it sounds.

6 in the Morning reporter Omar Villafranca says the cadets put on about 50 pounds of gear and climbed 55 stories to the top of the Bank of Oklahoma tower.

We've all see footage of fire crews battling flames in a burning building. But before they can save lives, they have to go though a rigorous training session.

The Tulsa Fire Academy lasts about 22-weeks. The cadets go through all types of scenarios that firefighters encounter on their calls. And when they're done, they're trained to deal with a variety of situations.

Tulsa Fire Captain Larry Bowles: "they're certified in rescue tech, in HAZMAT, in vehicle extraction, structural firefighting and incident command systems. We produce a cadet, a firefighter when they leave this academy; they are as good as anyone anywhere in the country."

Climbing to the top of the Williams Tower won't make or break these cadets. But it does push their mental and physical endurance. It took the cadets anywhere between 16 and 28 minutes to climb to the top.