Want to be a Firefighter? Enter the Worm Tube. 

Boys go in, firemen come out.

1:56 poor guy had to use his inner worm spirit

That looks like absolute torture. I dont usually have claustrophobia but damn.

Who knew a cement pipe would be so scary

I'm breathing heavily just watching this

Imagine how good it would feel to get out

True fact: firefighters aren't actually trained. They're birthed fully grown (and fully suited) by the process you see here.

Just did a tunnel today in the academy , I’ve been an athlete my entire life and by far one of the hardest things I’ve done to this day.

Firefighters are the best!

I feel confident I could do this exercise, if only for the fact that I know that someone's going to get me out if I get stuck.

I never knew I was catastrophic until I enter half way thru the worm hole. the most terrifying thing ive ever done

I remember having to go through a plastic one. Its truly a mental game that you have to really prepare for. Proud of all my brothers in the fire service who do this, and I admit every time I entered the tube it freaked me out. But I'm thankful for the guys who were there training me and giving me the encouragement and confidence to keep pushing through. Very thankful for every instructor out there who trains the firefighters and never allows them to give up on themselves. This video is truly an inspiration.

I am one claustrophobic fuck. Watching this literally made me start dancing

Yeah, no thanks. This isn't all that bad, you know you are safe; but, it would still cause most people anxiety. The real thing would be so much worse. Good job to any firefighters who have done things like this in real life and in more dangerous uncontrolled situations!

When he started to freak out I had a heart attack.

I see that this was posted a few years ago but I just came across this while researching FF Survival videos. I have to say after 23 years as a FF and quite a few of them as an Instructor, I have seen my share of this type of training, both as a participant and as the instructor. While I believe EVERY FF needs some form of what I will call "restricted" space training (Confined Space is a much more technical discipline) sometimes this type of training becomes a little too extreme. The idea is to build confidence in your self and the equipment meant to keep you alive, not to instill fear or panic in a recruit. In my opinion, a SCBA should NEVER be pushed in front of you. This only increases the chances of losing it when you need it the most. The best thing for new recruits is to give them goals that they can achieve or they will feel like they failed themselves and their team mates. This type of training is extremely valuable but should not be used as a determining factor for passing or failing out of the academy.

I can assure anyone who doubts the stress this creates even in a non-fire training atmosphere, it is intense. Your natural reaction when you feel pressure on your chest, back and sides at the same time is to push out and get space. You can't here. This guy did excellent overcoming that natural reaction and calming down to finish the exercise.

Hats off to our firefighters, no matter where you are, which country / state / city / battalion / first in you represent. Thank you for what you do. I couldn't do the job. I salute those that can, and willingly do, every day. Thank you for keeping us safe.

I've done this and tried to think about my children and what im going to have for dinner which calmed me down ALOT which in turn calmed my breathing making me think clearer... when you panic your brain goes into overdrive making you do irrational things...

The one thing that got me through this training session was thinking that "hey, if I get stuck, its not like I have to wait for FD to show up"

I am 6'2 and wear size 14 also. It is harder for us big boys but it can be done. It all comes down to mental toughness. My first confined space drill my first reaction was to freak out. However you have to take control of your fear and just get in your head that this is what you have to to so you are going to do it and make it through. Once all is said and done you will have sense of pride and accomplishment.

So damn glad there are people out there who can handle this kinda shit..!

at least there is light. we did somthing similar with mask hoods... omg

Gimme a suit and sign me up. This is leagues better than crawling around spider filled crawlspaces under a rotting house to replace floor joists.

Easily the most difficult part of fire training. The first time you get through without freaking out is the best feeling.

i got stuck in a tube that was only about 14 feet deep. my regulator fell loose and got lodged at the entry of the tube and i couldn't move or figure out why. i was terrified. once i figured out how i got stuck, got my composure and finished. this tube is huge!!! not easy!!

I don't suffer from any sort of claustrophobia, but this video made me literally unwell. For the first time ever, I almost had to turn this video off. Awesome job to whomever that was.

i do this every night before bed to calm my spirits

thats intense as hell. good job buddy!!

give him a fidget spinner and he'll be fine

The only way not to panic when you get stuck is to just take a nap and try later

I got panic at 1:20 lol XD

I'm like the most claustrophobic person in the world, literally as soon as my shoulders get confined i generally want to die

Funny how it goes. Retired recently after 32 years fire/EMS (five military). I'm not small, 6'2", 195, but this sort of thing was fun for me until I was right around 40. It became progressively more difficult to handle, both physically and psychologically. I've never searched for statistics, but anecdotally, in speaking with many peers, claustrophobia seems to become more common as we age.

I just volunteered for the FD in my neighborhood and I know it's not exactly the same as doing this for a living but I'm looking forward to it. The training for those that choose this as a living is intense, and although our training as volunteers is nowhere close, I'm certainly looking forward to it. Firefighters are a cool breed and much respect for those that do this day in and day out! God bless!

i used to do air duct cleaning in commercial buildings and some of the ducts get really small like this tunnel. Once my headlight gave out and i was too far down for anyone to hear me if i called for help but you gotta stay calm cuz u can easily psyche yourself out and panic.

I'm not knocking doing worm drills and confined space, but if that FF had lost air and had no room to get his hands to his mask, he would have been in deep trouble. A rope hauling 200 stuck/limp pounds 50-100 feet down a cement shoot won't be quick. If there were panic doors then I withdraw this statement I just didn't see any.

Gf: hey come over Me: can't there's a narrow tube that's separating are houses Her: I got memes Me: 1:47

My respect and congratulations for all this guys

Crawlspaces every day. I love it!

Ahhhh, I remember doing that! I don't really get claustrophobic, but you do have to keep a cool head when you eventually get stuck, it's easy to panic! You also suck air like crazy, which you have to really keep on top of, it's easy to forget you've got a limited supply.

I wish I had to do THIS for work, but a winding tube, upsidedown, under water, with goggles that only allowed a pinhole of visibility. And when I get to the end, I have to assemble something with tweezers, but with a light source the strobes and only blinks every 5 seconds.

Last year i crawled through 1000+ feet of 2’6” diameter underground storm drainage pipe (reinforced concrete). Part of an solo hydraulic civil engineering inspection. The pipe was dark and i had a torch. Every time a car would drive over a manhole cover, the reverb thud sound would rumble through the distant pipes and the airborne dust from sediments would fly into my face and could be seen as a mist in the torch beam. There were hydraulic gradients, pipe bends and dips in the pipe where cold stagnant stormwater accumulated from the last heavy rains.

Thank you to all the men and women who do this profession.

I think its less preparing you for climbing in tight spaces but more of an exercise to prepare you for high stress situations

Just did mine for cpat in the fire academy. It sucked so bad lmfao.

Compliments to all the training staff!

I was a Sand Blaster for the US Navy for a bit and me being the small guy I was blessed with the small tanks. If I ever got stuck I’d try to not panic because your muscles swell and that makes it way harder. The key is to close your eyes and breathe for a moment then continue to get unstuck. Good times! With that being said I’d love to give this a try.

I might volunteer as soon as I get my work visa..

Yea probably not. Not that long. I went thru one with my low air alarm ringing in the tube. Not fun.

I have claustrophobia I could never do that. But I’m not going to be a firefighter thank goodness! You guys are amazing!

I get chills watching this

I’d end up panicking overheating and then my head would blow up cause I’d be so scared

A tough exercise, but you will never do this in a fire...

I didn't think I had any kind of anxiety or claustrophobia until today. I had my first day with my work's ERT and first experience putting on all the gear and SCBA. It was fine at first I did a quick walk around and then suddenly I was paying more attention to the suit being uncomfortable, tight, bit of weight to it, sucking the air in didn't feel like enough compared to open atmosphere, I started to feel I was hyperventilating and would need to get out of the mask soon or I might pass out. Luckily I held it together for a few seconds and got the mask off and the one older guy I was with helped me with my jacket and helmet since I was unfamiliar and in an internal panic. I never saw it coming. Even later in the day not even wearing a helmet or scba, just the boots, pants and jacket and loves riding in the back of a pump truck the panic feeling started coming back to me... it eventually went away while we were doing hose practice but I'm not sure what will happen next time I put the mask and tank back on... just watching that guy in the narrow part of the pipe, I had to pause.. not sure how you get over feelings like that

Wow!! i couldn't handle that! i freaked out just watching. amazing job gentlemen!

watching this triggered me and my daughters claustrophobia

*looks at entrance* That's not so bad I could do that *last 12 feet* Welp just kill me

This is perhaps on the easier side of things I've done in the fire service. The interviews on the other hand.... absolutely relentless.

Outstanding work! Very realistic training

My worst nightmare right there :(

CRAWWWLLIINNG IIIINNN MYYY CRAAAWWWWLLLL

The thing is that this a 100% a mind game. If you were able to completely control your mind, you would have zero problem doing this, even without the rope. Crazy how your mind, which lets you do so much can also limit you.

Great video. For confined space training we do a similar drill but not nearly as long. Great work DFD. Stay safe out there brothers.

Who’s else got very dizzy and uncomfortable watching this? 😅😅

i want to be a firefighter but im costerfobic is that bad if it is then let me know so I can work on it and stay calm during thx

This looks like fun. I love training like this.

i know how that shit feels, not being able to move anything but your feet more than an inch and the sense of being stuck is very frustrating and scary, it can be very difficult not to panic but you just have to find a way to calm yourself down, much respect for my fellow brothers and sisters that have to do this in life or death situations, stay safe out there.

I feel like this video made it way scarier then it actually is like ur legs are roped ur safe fuck it push through

this does not train you for anything. you should never be in a situation like that ever.

I just got done taking my FF1 & 2 and it was the roughest training I had to take, I had to do the worm tube training, I started freaking out toward the middle when it started getting real tight, I never in my life have done anything like that, I'm just glad I'm done with the training, now it's time to put it to good use. FF Justin A Ryndal (Jarhead)

Great video to show people how easy it is to panic and start sucking your tank dry. I'd love to do this and see how well I keep my calm. My confined space experience is nothing more than a ton of rubble and tubes with rope tangled everywhere.

I could easily become a firefighter but thats a job for lesser men, myself I prefer to enlighten fundies on Le old Reddit dot com!

The quick succession of 'struggle' frames doesn't help at all 1:20

Couldn't agree more. I took FF1 & 2 last march (2011). Although I made it out, it put the fear in me. I volley, but have yet to be in a live fire, and we don't train much... plus politics. But I love it. I feel like I could do anything since I could do that. It is serious business, and luckily I was reimbursed by the county because I was a volley. I am 26 and feel like I may have missed the boat. Weird though I was the fifth youngest in my class. The earlier you start the better.

I had nightmares where I get trapped in those situations this brought me to those memories.

thats cool and all but now do it with water...

I did SCBA confined space training today, and holy shit. You dont think youre getting enough air, and you start hyperventilating. Even scarier when the low air level alarm g Is buzzing. Full respect;, and i hope to further my training and learn more.

my favorite drill is when you are blindfolded and have to go from a completely disassembled pack (bottle taken out, and, for bonus points, your regulator and the remote gauge are all tangled) to fully reassembled, don it, and go on air. 5 years and it never gets old!

I've done something similar to this except it was a tunnel made of plywood with 2x4's and wires strung and attached across the whole length. Done in full turnouts with an scba and a forcible entry tool all while smoke is pumped in, it wasn't easy by any means as your pack was getting hung up left and right however I do see it as vital training for tight spaces and attics. This maneuver taught us how important it is to find a wall and put your bottle in the corner to avoid it getting hung up while going through. My only question about the drill shown in the video and similar ones is, what if your shoulders are very broad? Meaning what if your essentially too big to fit through the smaller segments? Especially since the recruits had no tools with them to attempt to force their way through like they would normally in a fire. Just a thought, unless the tube is actually much larger at the end then the video made it show.

mannnnnnnnnn!!!!! I seriously felt for dude going thru it! at the 12ft left point n he panicked a bit...holy shit .what a great video ! much respect!

We had to do something like this in school not as long but still pretty small u go in nervous but u know people have done it before you and you feels so accomplished coming out when done

Every challenge life throws at you is easily surpassed mentally. Your mind can become your best friend in a situation like this.

I just did this today on my last day of recruit school. It was intense. We actually did it in the dark on stairs going up and down. However, it wasn't as long so probably a wash. Definitely a ball-buster.

I just did this today. It was very unnerving, but you have to get through it. Just put your head down and get to work.

I’d much rather be in a heavy firefight then do what a firefighter does. Respect.

Had a simulation where we would set up some small plywood boxes in a way to resemble being in a attic crawl space filled with fog machine smoke. You would start in the “attic”, go into the crawl space then you have to go straight down about a foot and half then to the left and go about 9 feet and another left, then go 17 feet until the exit. That was one of the most scariest moments in my life. We had set up the simulation for National Night Out. A whole bunch of kids showed up and were running through the simulation like it was nothing, because the are small. Then my friend tells me to go through it with all my gear on, but without a airpack. He tells me that I shouldn’t need it. I make it about half way through and then I realized that he had fogged it up A LOT. It’s hot, it’s cramped and now I can’t breath so I’m freaking out but I realized I can’t freak out in front of all the kids. I take a few short breaths and tuff that fucker out. One of the hardest moments in my life

Holy shit firefighters need more recognition

I must give credit when credit is due. Great job

It's not so bad. Did a version of this in my firefighter training, at first it's a decent rush of anxiety, but just tell yourself that you're fine, there's no real fire, just keep going forward. You'll quickly get used to being in confined spaces or you'll pick another career path

You have to clear your mind and have the will to try. Know that your fellow men have your back. The will to live can overcome fear in a real situation. Interesting drill.

I have done something similar where I live, full turnouts but no SCBA. It was a trailer with a maze and it is completely darked out, can't see a thing so you just crawl through with your right hand on the wall and follow through, there was inclines and ladders, it was pretty fun and towards the end there was a stretch like this where you would have to take off your SCBA (if I had one on) and crawl through.

This is how you challenge your psychological limitations.

I generally don't get claustrophobic (most of the time I love small spaces), but fuck me that video gave me this gut feeling that I just couldn't compare to anything else

@joemac356, The pipes are roughly connected through overlapping flanges. It is not a perfect fit, as you can see daylight through the cracks. But it does make separating the pipes a little difficult. Also, The pipes are slightly embedded in the ground to keep them from moving about. These two factors, along with the weight of the concrete, makes moving the tubes a difficult and time consuming process. That's why the ropes. Moving the tubes is the back-up if the ropes fail.

Just completed this with Devon n Somerset (UK) It is by far the most testing module!

This profession will humble you

What this exercise is designed to elicit is the recruits ability to channel his/her mind-set in a methodical and controlled manner. Conquering fear is not the goal, but rather to mentally control your focus on the task. The circumstances can vary between individuals. For example one recruit might be immobilized by the tunnel and repel off the training tower with relative aplomb. The next recruit might move smoothly through the tunnel and when it comes to repelling off the tower become vulnerable, or anxious. The message to be learned is that it lies within you to increase your individual capacity to rely on your mind to remain in your control and not vice versa. It has nothing to do with heroics and everything to do with crafting a character suited to your job's requirements, daunting they sometimes can be. Mike Kirwan L-9 S.F.D. ret'd

Cant wait!!!!!

Crossing off firefighter off my list of possible careers