Bridgeport Fire officials say their new training facility will help to turn out more women firefighters.

The new highly specialized training center is designed to help people who want to become firefighters pass the Candidate Physical Ability Test.

The CPAT measures a person's ability to handle the physical demands of being a firefighter and is administered in Meriden.

The new center in Bridgeport is open seven days a week to help aspiring firefighters surmount the first hurdle on the road to a job in the fire service.

"But, since the establishment of the CPAT training facilities here in Bridgeport, we have been very successful in ensuring that women will not only pass the CPAT but get through the fire academy — so we encourage you ladies to come on down to the Bridgeport training facility and get all the support and training that you need to become a Bridgeport firefighter," Lt. Monique Pettway Moore says.