When considering a physical training program for firefighter recruits, there should be clear goals in mind. The first is that all recruits must enter the academy in good physical condition. This means physically preparing the recruits via the proper program so that they’re able meet all the demands and challenges of a recruit academy from day one.
I know this isn’t always possible due to time and/or budget constraints, so if that’s the case, new recruits should receive guidance on what to do prior to their first day and what to expect when that day finally arrives. For example, recruits need to know that physical fitness exams are usually required of those wishing to enter this field. They must also understand that physical fitness is stressed as a way of life for new fire recruits. This is especially important because if recruit fitness is introduced as a lifestyle change, we may have more success down the road when it comes to the overall health and fitness levels of the fire service. The ultimate goal should be to not only get recruits through the fire academy, but to have them maintain an optimal fitness level throughout their career and into retirement. Then they can come visit the station when they’ve reached retirement age and share some knowledge and experience with the troops over a cup of coffee–or a protein drink.
Program Ingredients
It’s often said that it’s hard to find a more physically demanding job than firefighting–and I agree. When you crawl 150 feet inside a superheated building, which may collapse, with zero visibility and hampered communications, to make a search and/or find the seat of a fire while wearing PPE that restricts your movement–and you have only 15 minutes of air–the physical exertion takes a major toll on your body. That is why you must have the best training program available to ensure you can meet the demands placed on you and your crew.
An optimal physical training program includes certain basic elements. First and foremost, the program should be designed to make you a good firefighter. In other words, it must enable you to continuously meet the physical demands of the job. It must have a solid foundation built on strength training, flexibility, cardiovascular training, power training and function. Further, the training schemes and packages presented in the fire academy environment should become tools that you can expand upon so that they last your entire career.
Secondly, a training program must acknowledge the fact that the firefighter’s “season” lasts 25 years on average–we have no off-season. So the program must be able to expand and contract to allow for different people of different ages to use the program to their advantage, and for a long time.
Note: In addition to a firefighter-specific training program, many firefighters participate in other athletic events, such as the World Police and Fire Games or the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge, and have interests outside of firefighting, which is great. We should encourage activity outside of firefighting that promotes good health and wellbeing.
Putting It Together
Now that I’ve discussed some of the ingredients of a good program, we must determine how to apply them so that the outcome is a fully prepared firefighter athlete. Think of it this way: You may have all the right ingredients to make a chocolate cake, but if you don’t include the right amount of each ingredient, you’ll get something that’s all together different from cake.
As mentioned, the goal of the fire academy should be to both improve recruits’ fitness levels, and to train them to use the program for the rest of their career, and beyond, for long-term firefighting success and overall health.
But the training shouldn’t be reserved just for the recruits. The trainers should teach the program to the rest of the department, just like they would new ventilation techniques, extrication techniques or any other firefighter skill that enhances service delivery. You may think you know all there is to know about firefighting, and you may have many years of service and some pretty intense incidents under your belt, but if you can’t physically do what it takes to maintain optimal fireground performance, then you’re not doing your job.
One thing I’ve noticed in firefighter recruit training is that the training officers love to start with physical training (PT) first thing in the morning. They treat it like a rite of passage: “Let’s beat the crap out of the recruit first thing and show them who’s boss.” Then later, when the recruit is dragging during hoselays or the ventilation technique class, the officer wonders why they’re so “unmotivated.” Obviously, the officer has exhausted them to the point that they’re too tired to learn what they really need to know.
When a pro sports team practices, they don’t exhaust the players prior to teaching them things that will help them win the game. They drain the tank afterward or they select specific times of year to do more exhaustive exercises. But because we don’t have an “off-season,” we don’t have the luxury of waiting to perform intense training. My suggestion: Do the important, life-saving learning at the beginning of the day and save the strenuous PT for the end of the day. This will ensure that recruits will still have plenty to give later in the day. Then they can go home, replenish nutritionally, get some rest and come back ready to learn and train again.
Case Study: Peoria Fire Department Recruit Academy
Peoria is a suburb of Phoenix, with a population of about 150,000. The Peoria Fire Department (PFD) has seven stations with about 150 firefighters, all of whom are members of the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center. Currently, the center is running a 13-week recruit training academy, which includes PFD recruits and is under the direction of Captain Tony Neely, a 15-year veteran of the fire service and a veteran of Desert Storm. Capt. Neely, Engineer Marty Meece of the Buckeye Fire Department and I are managing the sports performance fitness program for the recruits.
The program we’re using for the class is a mixture of the Bigger Faster Stronger (BFS) strength and flexibility program and my Enduro Strength program (which can be found in my book, “Fitness for Firefighters: Enduro Strength Training”). The BFS program is ideal for firefighters because it’s founded in basic sports performance lifts, it’s easily learned and is adaptable to any sport, and it requires the participant to keep detailed records of their exercise routine and their progression through multiple fitness levels. Record-keeping allows recruits to not only gain a clearer understanding of what the program can do for them, it also allows them to customize the program for their long-term use. Further, it engages the recruit because they are competing against themselves to improve their performance.
In a nutshell, the training academy routine involves the following:
- Recruits complete strength and sports performance lifts for a certain amount of reps to establish a fitness baseline.
- They then follow the program, which gradually leads to strength gains along the way.
- They begin to see noticeable improvement in their personal fitness levels, which allows them to break their own records.
The lifting portion of the program is done on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Once recruits have mastered basic lifts, I add in endurance weightlifting packages as auxiliary lifts. The lifting concentrations go from upper body with associated auxiliary lifts to lower body lifts and their corresponding auxiliary lifts.
On Wednesdays during the five-day program, recruits perform extended functional training exercises. To complete such exercises, we set up courses that use dummy drags, hose pulls, tire flips, sledgehammer strikes, crawl-throughs, etc. Recruits perform these exercises while wearing full PPE or weight vests. As many of you know, these types of courses are excellent fitness and training tools because the firefighter not only gets a workout, but they also learn to get comfortable in their PPE and use various fire service tools.
Cardiovascular training occurs each day after weight training, and combines interval training with long, slow distance running (we skip Wednesday because cardio is a major part of my functional training programs). For more information on the cardio portion of the program, read “On the Run,” March 2011, p. 100.
Don’t Forget Flexibility
One thing we often forget when training: flexibility, which is key to remaining combat ready. It may be difficult to remember how important it is in part because we sometimes go a few shifts without having to put on PPE and respond “for real.” But we must train in our gear so that we can adjust our flexibility levels and be comfortable when moving around in full PPE.
BFS offers a simple, easy, full-body flexibility plan that you can accomplish in about 10 minutes. Begin by stretching the hamstrings with “one on the ground.” Next, stretch the upper-body pectorals, shoulders and latissimus with “two in the air.” Now move to calves, Achilles and quadriceps with “three on the wall” and finally, stretch the abdominals, gluteus, groin and adductor (hips) with “four on the floor.” (For more information on flexibility training, visit www.firefighternation.com/article/firefighter-fitness-and-health/flexibility-firefighting.)
I recommend running through this routine at the beginning of the day and repeating it if necessary prior to the start of PT later in the day. Remember: A good flexibility program helps improve your fireground performance, not just when you’re young, but throughout your career. Again, this information should be presented to every fire recruit.
Final Recommendations
It’s important in the fire recruit academy environment to set the stage for the new firefighter’s entire career, and setting that stage must include physical fitness training, but it should also include overall wellness training.
We all know that firefighters aren’t immune to the everyday stresses that affect most people. I recommend devoting time to all the items listed in this article, but also allowing time for a mental health expert to visit the class and present assistance options that are out there for your recruits, should they need it someday. And just like PT, everything the recruits get and/or need in the area of mental health is also needed by the old salts. Remember: Most fire chiefs will tell that you that what happens between calls can have a huge impact, both positive and negative, on firefighters’ careers. Early intervention can save careers down the road.
Last but certainly not least, don’t neglect nutrition. Invite a nutritionist or dietician to visit the class and present healthy eating options and ideas.
Reference
Shepard, G, et al. BFS Flexibility Manual: The complete BFS flexibility program. Bigger, Faster, Stronger. Salt Lake City, Utah. 2010.
