With the horror of the Marco Polo fire top of mind, it’s hard to imagine that there are people who want very much to be the ones charging into danger and risking their lives to save strangers. But there are. There are thousands competing for that opportunity.

For the last nine years, Richard Soo and four other retired fire captains have offered test-prep classes for the Honolulu Fire Department entrance exam. The classes, held in Papakolea, are free though quite intense.

There is a math section that covers things like the mechanical advantage of pulleys, the weight of water and understanding all the gauges on the truck. The retired captains train the students on formal job interviews, and there are homework essays every week. Each student is evaluated by the captains, told of their weaknesses and given ways to improve.

Forty-one students started in the most recent prep course, and 24 made it all the way through, which is about what Soo sees each time he runs the eight-week class. People figure out pretty quickly whether they have what it takes. The students in this session included a bartender who works Friday nights but made it to class Saturday mornings, a college student getting his degree in botany and several who have fathers in the Fire Department.

The odds are daunting. The exam is given once every three years. More than 5,000 people apply. Only about 100 will become recruits. In the past nine years, 400 have been through this class. Thirty-eight have been hired by the department.

Former University of Hawaii football player Geordon Hanohano described what he learned from the class and how it affirmed his goal. “Everything you do as a firefighter is so selfless,” he said. “You see everyone running away from danger, and you’re the one running toward it.” Hanohano smiled as though he would be honored to do just that.

James Makaio, who is starting his senior year at Roosevelt High School, heard about the class at a school assembly. “All my friends said, ‘Oh, yeah, let’s do this!’ And on the first day, I come and where’s all my friends?” But Makaio stayed and plans to take the test when it’s offered. By then he will be 18 and a high school graduate, which are requirements for the Fire Department.

Thirty-seven-year-old Victoria Rabago was the oldest in the most recent class. She’s wanted to be a firefighter since she was a kid, but her plans changed when she got pregnant in high school. The mother of four says her dream never died, though. “When you hear the sirens go by, you have this calling inside you that you just feel you need to help.”

She finished her degree in fire and environmental emergency response at Honolulu Community College, is staying in top shape and took the class to hone her test-taking strategy. “There is no age limit in the department,” she said.

A grant through the nonprofit Kula Papakolea pays for the textbooks and other materials.

The retirees who teach the class volunteer. They do it because they loved the job and want to help others who have that rare love of selfless service.

“It’s a calling,” Soo said. “We just want to make sure the department gets the right few.”

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.