Do You Have What It Takes? AVFD Invites Residents to Gear Up and Take the Challenge

Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Hometown Hero?

Avon Volunteer Fire Department Invites Residents to Gear Up and Take the Challenge

The Avon Volunteer Fire Department (AVFD) invites members of the community 16 years and older to participate in the Community Challenge on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at the M.H. Rhodes Property (99 Thompson Road at the Farmington Valley Greenway entrance).

Unlike the typical fitness adventure, the AVFD Community Challenge is an opportunity for members of the public to step into firefighter bunker gear and see if they have what it takes to be a hometown hero by tackling the AVFD’s Physical Performance Qualification (PPQ) test. All AVFD volunteer firefighters are required to complete the PPQ annually in order to respond to incidents.

The PPQ is a specially-designed 10-station course that includes the minimum number of skills firefighters must perform and mimics the work that is expected in the first 15 minutes on a structure fire call. Tasks include attaching a hose to a hydrant, raising and lowering a 24-foot extension ladder, advancing a charged hose line, flowing a stream of water at 200 gallons per minute, and simulating chopping a rooftop. The course is physically demanding, and may be run timed or untimed, depending on the participant’s preference.

Understanding that all firefighters are occupational athletes, the AVFD has created and is implementing a comprehensive health and safety program: the Wellness and Fitness Initiative. Part of the initiative’s fitness program, the PPQ evaluation is one of several components in a new 10-year progressive plan designed to improve the health and safety of AVFD members and, in turn, enhance the Department’s preparedness and effectiveness in meeting the needs of the community and region.

RSVPs are required. To register, please call (860) 677-2644 or email communitychallenge@avonvfd.org. To learn more about the AVFD, visit the Department’s website at www.AvonVFD.org or find the AVFD on Facebook @AvonVFD.