HEALTH & FITNESS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Currently Not accepting application for the Health & Fitness Internship Program

WHAT IS THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM?

Travis County Emergency Services District (ESD) No. 2, also known as the Pflugerville Fire Department, is named “the District” throughout this document.  The District designed its Health & Fitness (HF) Internship Program to appeal to motivated individuals who are dedicated to learning the skills necessary for a career in Strength and Conditioning (S&C).

The HF Internship Program gives interns an inside look at the District and the role of the Health & Fitness Coordinator (HFC) as a full time strength & conditioning coach in a fire department, and the District likewise has an opportunity to observe and assess an intern’s dedication, skills and performance. The District provides equal opportunities to all applicants for this internship without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, military service or genetic information.

Best of all, interns benefit because the HF Internship Program:

  • Offers an inside look and training opportunity for the emerging field of tactical strength and conditioning in the fire service;
  • Offers interns, accepted into the program, a quarterly stipend of $1,000.00 upon successful completion of each period of training, up to a maximum of $4,000.00. Stipends will only be offered for periods for which an individual is meeting quarterly objectives in the program (see Appendix C).

The field of tactical S&C is continuing to grow and there are special considerations when working within the first responder community. Successful completion of the HF Internship Program will result in an understanding of these and can lead to employment in a wide area of opportunities.

The District’s Internship Program offers the following:

  1. Practical work experience in strength and conditioning including but to limited to: assisting the HFC in the implementation of training programs and leading small groups independently
  2. Education in the most recent research related to the fire service and first responders and their health & wellness
  3. The opportunity to educate and present to the department on several topics
  4. Exposure to the standardized and research supported Fitness Assessments used in the Fire Service such as the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) (see Appendix D) and others used at the District

 

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO JOIN THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM?

 Applicants must be at least age 18 and be able to read, write, and speak Enlgish; understand and follow supervisory direction; and meet the Internship Program attendance requirements. Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Have completed a bachelor’s degree; OR
  • Have a professional certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), or like; and
  • Have a minimum of 6 months of training individuals or in a group setting.

Interested applicants must:

  1. Complete the District’s application
  2. Submit a 3-5 minute video of example coaching;
  3. Complete the District ’s interview; and
  4. Sign the Internship Agreement (Appendix A);

 

WHAT IS REQUIRED DURING THE PROGRAM?

Under the direction of the Training Chief and supervised by the Health & Fitness Coordinator (HFC), the program traditionally lasts 16 weeks and requires 30 hours per week of classroom and mostly hands-on instruction; generally from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, with a 1 hour lunch break.  Interns are trained concurrently in the principles of strength and conditioning, biomechanics, introduction to the fire service and its culture, standardized fitness assessments used in the fire service, and the considerations of training first responders. Outside the classroom interns will assist in coaching a hiring recruit academy, a high school fire academy, and incumbent fire fighters, as well as participate in some ride-alongs on emergency vehicles.

An adequate level of physical fitness is required, as the HF intern will be partaking in the training and testing for the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). Passing this test is not required by the H&C intern, but participation is.

Interns are measured throughout each term. Satisfactory attendance and performance are required in order to remain in the program and be eligible for the stipend. Completion of the program during the semester requires satisfactory achievement on these components:

  1. Assist in all Fire and EMT intern training sessions and testing procedures;
  2. Assist in training of HS academy and incumbent firefighters;
  3. Attempt CPAT testing each quarter;
  4. Read 5 peer-reviewed articles or publications related to firefighter health & wellness, draft a written summary and disccuss topics with the HFC;
  5. Produce a 10-15 minute recorded presentation on an approved topic to be distributed to the department each quarter. The HF Intern will come up with the ideas for the presentations and the HFC Will approve topic;
  6. Assist HFC with any appropriate office duties, including but not limited to, programming data collection, and supplementary program development;
  7. Regular and satisfactory participation in the physical fitness program and; and
  8. Positive performance evaluation by staff throughout the program.

 

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER COMPLETING THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM?

At completion of the internship, the HF intern will have gained both a working knowledge and experience of the role of strength and conditioning in the tactical realm, specific to the fire service.

The HF Intern will be encouraged to seek employement in the realm of strength and conditioning. The HFC is able to serve as a reference should the HF intern choose.

 

For more information regarding this program and how to apply, please view the documents below.

Health and Fitness Internship Program Overview