SAN ANTONIO – Two new cadet training classes are underway for the San Antonio Fire Department, and the selection process is as rigorous as the program itself.
More than 3,000 people applied, but only 67 were accepted into this year’s 26-week cadet training program. That is equivalent to a less than 3 percent acceptance rate.
In order to be accepted into the cadet training program, applicants not only have to meet physical requirements, they must also meet stringent academic requirements.
They must be eligible to apply based on current civil service rules and pass an entrance exam and a physical ability test. They undergo an extensive background check, a polygraph test and medical and psychological screening.
"We do a very dangerous job. You’re running into burning buildings, you’re out on the highway of a multi-vehicle accident where traffic is still coming by. So we have to have our standards set up before they get out into the field, because not only will they endanger themselves, but they might endanger the crews. And we can’t have that. Safety is No. 1," San Antonio Fire Department Capt. Raul Chapa said.
The job is tough, but Chapa said it's worth it. It’s also why he wants to see each cadet succeed.
"It’s very rewarding. It’s also very taxing and very traumatizing for some. But if you asked me 30 years ago (if I) would I do it again? Absolutely," Chapa said. "Most of us have the service attitude. That’s why you get into the Fire Department. You’re meeting people on their worst day. So you get to deal with a lot of things. You get to see a lot of things that people will never see."
More than 3,200 hopeful cadets took the most recent entry exam on March 31 with the hope of joining the program in 2017.