Brittany Poole, a senior at Maplewood Richmond Heights High School, proved this month she has what it takes to be a firefighter. 

Poole placed third out of nine in the Phoenix Test, which firefighter trainees must pass at the academy before being hired at a fire station. Poole said she was the “only girl” to get high marks at the competition.

“I know we’re proud,” said Matt Wilcox, a firefighter in Maplewood who works with Poole once a month as part of her internship. (Read more from Patch about Poole's firefighting internship.)

Some MRH students made a video of Poole competing during the test. In the video, Poole lifts 45 pound “donut rolls” and navigates them through a trailer several times, climbs a 75-foot ladder on a fire truck, drags a 155-pound mannequin and knocks over a barrel with a fire hose—all while wearing about 30 pounds of gear.

“When she goes through the academy, she’ll have to do this again,” Wilcox said.

“She probably has a really bright future if she continues on.”