There is a little guy at the gym I go to. I overheard him tell his friend he was studying to take his test to be a Chicago Fireman. Right now he is a fireman in the suburbs.
This guy IF and that is a big IF he is 5’ it would be lucky. He can’t weigh more than 100 pounds IF that.
I’m not trying to be funny but what would he be used for? Crawling thru little cracks of a burning building?
Driving the truck (assuming he can reach the pedals…:)). Though, in the area where I live, that’s pretty much the job of the sergeant (my dad retired from the Louisville, KY FD after about 26 years, and he retired as a sergeant). Dispatch. Then again, AFAIK, there are no height requirements for Louisville, KY’s fire department. My grandfather retired as a captain after 39 years on the same force. I’d ask either one of them, but they’re both dead.
Back on topic, however, I can’t see why his height would be a hindrence, so long as he could physically perform the duties of a fireman.
images of South Park enter head; wherein Cartman discusses how the tiny fireman will spit in your eye if you rub his helmet
=O
So long as he meets the standards of the job application and testing standards, height is not an issue.
I’ve worked with some short fellows who were absolute bulls-people you’d want on your side in a fight.
Chicago is likely adherent to NFPA 1001, so if he’s accepted to the academy, he’s perhaps in better shape than you.
It’s entirely possible the little guy can bench 300, so don’t rule him out.
Why, put out tiny little fires, of course! 
Sorry, I couldn’t believe nobody beat me to that, and I couldn’t resist
Don’t underestimate him just because he’s short. Assuming he’s in kickass physical shape, it might even give him an advantage in some situations. He might be able to get into smaller spaces the bigger guys would have problems with, or something like that. I know nothing about the technicalities of firefighting, but I can’t imagine why being short alone would be a hindrance.
They also tend to use less air therefore can go longer on an SCBA tank. I drained a tank in 7 minutes once before I learned to pace myself. Many firefighters these days are not huge corn fed country boys that crash through brick walls to save your baby, they are a little more on the compact and solid side. They have power tools to handle the brute force stuff. It is also a benefit because firefighters often find themselves trying to squeeze into small spaces even in something as common as a car accident, not mention working codes in the back of an ambulance, snug enough with just two guys working back there, 4 is a nightmare unless everyone is used to working together.
I was right? YAY!
There will be times that he is a liability, and times when he will be a valuable commodity, just like every FF. It’s always a team effort, so he will always have his place.
Think about it for a minute.
And, if it turns out that he’s proportionately weak, he can do things like unscrew the hydrant, keep the hoses untangled, assist the victims, and so on. There are plenty of things that need to be done at the scene of a fire. Not all tasks require dead lifting 300 lbs.
There’s also stuff likes communications work back at the base.
A few posters forgot the OP saying he was about 100 pounds. The argument wasn’t about his height. Someone wants a career in firefighting? Noble. As long as he’s manning the phones, driving the truck, unscrewing the hydrant plug.
I stand 6’ 4" and weigh in at #230. If I’m ever in a burning house and passed out from fumes, send the big guys in, please.
At 6’4" and 230lbs, using proper technique, that 100 lb 5’ tall firefigher will get you out.
I carry a loop of 15’ of 1" tubular webbing in my turnouts. I can drag a 250lb firefighter by myself (I’m 5’7" 185lbs) all day across any surface (wet carpet gets tough, but I can still do it for a while). The webbing gets looped through the victim’s arms and around their chest or back, the other end of the loop goes around my shoulder, just start walking (or crawling, as the case and circumstances dictate). No biggie.
Besides, the firefighters that come and get you should be acting in pairs, if not groups of 3 (if their staffing is correct). That makes things quite a bit easier.
I don’t know about Chicago, but around here many (if not most) fire departments use civilain dispatchers…if I’m spending the money to send this firefighter through the academy, I’m not going to stick him/her behind a desk.
5’ tall and 100 lbs, he’ll have no problems if he has a good attitude towards the job, is in good physical shape, and is reasonably bright.
There’s some interesting threads here.
On one hand, you have people saying that small can mean compact and, essentially, built like a tank: Muscle on a small frame, and capable of running and leaping alongside the rest of them. Which is completely plausible, especially if the person is in a good weight-training program in addition to the exertions of the job.
On the other hand, there is the Impact of Modern Technology. You don’t need to be a giant to operate the Jaws of Life or a hydraulic jack or suchlike. Nor do you need a big body to learn new skills. Technique and technology can make up for a lack of a physique, in other words. The extreme of this view is the notion that he’d be manning the sophisticated communications equipment, but I don’t think anyone’s suggesting he’d be desk-bound. So that’s another very plausible thread of ideas.
Of course, reality in this case is a mix of both. You need a bunch of muscles to execute the technique correctly, and without direction the muscles are worthless. There are physical constraints associated with a short stature, but technology can render them unimportant and technique can use them as a leverage point. So, simply via a summation of what’s already here, I conclude that being a rather short individual wouldn’t be a dealbreaker in becoming a fireman.
What about his ability to withstand heat? Are small people more heat-exhaustion prone than larger people or maybe the converse is true - something to do with skin area per unit mass? I know smaller means more skin area per unit mass. That’s why animals in the ice age (and in cold climates) tend to be bigger than their warm-clime cousins.
Regards,
Dries Venter
From a physiological standpoint, I’ll offer my observations on how large and small people handled working in a 110-degree ultra-humid kitchen for a six-hour shift. The key factors in determining how long someone could stand by the grill (the hottest spot) were the amount of bodyfat, their cardiovascular fitness, and the amount of water they were drinking.
While height was a consideration (a 6’4" kid commented that once one’s head was above the vent fans, there was a noticeable “thermocline”!), it was minor until one stood to reach something above the vent fans.
Workers with lots of bodyfat became overheated easily (requiring more frequent breaks to the walk-in freezer to cool down), except those who were training during the day for football. Whether this was due to acclimation or fitness, I’m unsure. I was generally a little less susceptible to the heat than people built comparably to me because I was running 3+ miles a day over the summer to prepare for cross-country. Anyone could stand the heat for any amount of time if you continued to drink ice water (the Great Equalizer!) and kept replacing your head-scarf with a fresh one that had been soaked and placed in the freezer.
Basically, if this guy has the desire to succeed, his size should not matter except in the extreme situations (300-lb unconscious victim). IANAF, but wouldn’t all but the largest, most badass firemen call for a second to help move that kind of a challenging load?
As KCB615 said, they will be operating in pairs, especially in a fire situation. Many departments as part of their application testing process will make you drag a 200+ pound dummy 15-20 feet through a 36" or so high tunnel. Its not easy, but it can be done and weeds out small framed folks who don’t have the muscle mass or technique to do it.
If you ever want to get a whole new level of respect for firefighters, go watch a physical test for new recruits. Many people cannot complete the course thrown at them. Unless you are in the top times for the course, you don’t even get to an interview.
…also, in some ways, that little dude is just as impaired as some “bellys” (guys with huge bellys) I have seen in the service…