To be a firefighter, a person needs fireproof pants, boots, jacket, gloves, helmet, breathing apparatus – and a whole lot of guts.

After donning the more than 80 pounds of gear, firefighters then head into dangerous situations, such as smoke-filled homes with extreme heat. This is the experience that the Mattapoisett Fire Department replicates every other Thursday to keep its firefighters sharp.

For two hours on the second and last Thursdays of the month, the volunteers at the Mattapoisett Fire Department head to the station and use a fire training simulator to practice sawing through locks, breaking in doors and extinguishing fires. The simulator is essentially a black, metal trailer. In one section there is a 55-gallon drum, with piles of hay on top of it.

One firefighter heads in to the trailer and lights the fire, while a group of others work to get in and put the fire out. While the firefighters are inside, the trailer reaches temperatures household ovens aren’t even capable of – it doesn’t take 600 degrees to bake cookies.

The whole exercise takes about 10 minutes, but between the weight of the gear and the heat of the fire, it’s taxing.

“And we do this all night!” Lt. Justin Dubois said.

The Mattapoisett Fire Department hires its firefighters as on-call, meaning each firefighter is issued a pager, and they respond to the firehouse when a tone is sent out signaling an emergency call.

Currently, the department is looking for new recruits.

“We try to hire about four per year,” Fire Chief Andy Murray said. “But we won’t turn away good candidates.”

New recruits go to state training, there’s a Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Fall River, for a few months before joining the department. There, their training will be continued with the bi-weekly simulations and any other extra training courses the department offers.

Murray said applications are open to anyone, with a few rules: recruits can’t smoke or use drugs, must be clean shaven, must be at least 18 and have a high school diploma and must have a clean record.

“Even if someone thinks they’re interested, they should stop by and get more information,” Murray said. “Don’t be intimidated. We want to get people in and answer any of their questions.”

And despite the intense work firefighters put in, Murray said it’s all worth it.

“You get to give back to your community, you help people,” he said. “It’s a gratifying job…it makes you feel good. And you get to become part of a family. There’s real camaraderie.”

For more information on joining the department, stop by the station at 26 County Road, or contact Murray at 508-758-4150 or amurray@mattapoisett.net