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They passed the tests and beat the odds, and now Keith May and Samantha Eggers are enjoying their first weeks as two of the newest members of the Berkeley Fire Department. 

In the spring, the city accepted 600 applicants for eight positions in the department. May, 36, and Eggers, 27, were two of the eight finalists who graduated July 21 from the 2000 Spring Recruit Academy. 

The applicants, all already licensed paramedics, had to pass a written test that consisted primarily of math and reading-comprehension questions, followed by a physical abilities test. The pool was narrowed down and the eight recruits were finally selected after interviews with a three-member board. 

“We look at it as if we’ve won the lottery,” Eggers said. “That’s about the odds of getting a job at the fire department.” 

May has worked in emergency medical services for the last 15 years, most recently as a paramedic, and decided to make the transition to fire fighting. 

“All along the way, people have been telling me how great the fire service is,” he said. “(Paramedics) work hand in hand with (firefighters) throughout the Bay Area, so I figured it’s a great way of life, being able to continue what I’m doing as a paramedic yet expanding on the side of fire suppression.” 

Eggers’ uncle, a recently-retired firefighter, got her interested in the field. 

“I started off going into law enforcement and I liked how fire fighting was looked upon better,” she said. 

After the eight finalists were named, they immediately enrolled in Berkeley’s 12-week Spring Recruit Academy, where they trained five days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There they received specialized training in different areas including putting out fires in confined spaces and open, “wild” lands and dealing with hazardous materials. They worked with hoses and ladders and aquatinted themselves with Berkeley geography. 

May and Eggers explained the 12 weeks of training as simply exhausting. Each day consisted of waking up early in the morning to commute to the training areas – May lives in Napa and Eggers is from Pleasanton – working all day, and then driving home to study the things they were expected to know. 

Before the new firefighters become permanent members of the Berkeley Fire Department, they are put on probation for 24 months. During that time they get tested every six months. They train daily for the exams. 

“Every six months you are given a certain amount of (things to learn) and you are tested on them,” May explained. 

May and Eggers just finished their first week on the staff and have thus far avoided any emergencies. They are located at Station 5 on Shattuck Avenue. 

Firefighters work 10 days a month in 24-hour shifts. In a typical week, they work three out of five days and then take the next four days off before beginning the routine again.