There are many different approaches to assessing fitness in firefighters and
unfortunately it is not standardised throughout the UK. There are
recommendations for VO2max when using such tests as the Chester Step Test
mentioned by Amanda or the cycle ergometer (this varies with age but for a
new recruit to the wholetime fire service should be 45 ml/Kg/min or better).
Some useful contacts might be:
Dr Chris Ide (Occupational Physician to Strathclyde Fire Service), who has
taken a particular interest in fitness testing in full-time firefighters;
Dr Charles Baron (Fire Service Coordinator, Association of Local Authority
Medical Advisers, who can be contacted through the ALAMA website
www.alama.org.uk );
Dr Robin Donnelly (Chief Medical Officer, Corus Group UK, at Corus Group's
Llanwern Works), whose recent MFOM thesis was on the very subject in which
you are interested.
There is also a paper in the most recent (Nov 2000) "Occupational Medicine"
on the assessment of the ability to perform work-related tasks in
firefighters, which might be of interest
Best of luck!
Stewart Lloyd
Independent Consultant
Yorks & Lincs
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