Motivating your company to perform physical training (PT) regularly is not always easy. The frequency of emergency calls, public education events and apparatus maintenance can interfere with daily PT. But failing to keep firefighters active is not only dangerous for their safety on the fireground, it is also dangerous to their overall health.
One of the most popular fire service athletic events is the Firefighter Combat Challenge (FCC), in which skilled fire service athletes go head-to-head in grueling physical challenges similar to the tasks they perform on the fireground. Of course, not everyone is cut out to be an FCC athlete, and formal competition requires a commitment most firefighters don’t have time for. But consider this: You can take the spirit of the FCC and create an event that is much like an improvised combat challenge. It’s a quick and easy way to conduct PT in the station, and because it draws on firefighters’ competitive nature, it serves as a powerful motivator for crewmembers to get and stay in shape.
Safety First
In any physical training program, the safety of your firefighters is paramount. Before beginning the improvised FCC, ensure each firefighter has received an annual physical examination by a physician. The physician should deem each firefighter able to participate in moderate to extreme physical training.
Furthermore, knowing the physical challenge of completing an FCC, the station officer should ensure each firefighter is screened before, during and after participation. This should include completing a questionnaire to identify risk factors, monitoring vital signs and ensuring adequate hydration. Note: A firefighter should not participate in the improvised FCC if they display any abnormal vital signs, have poor general health, or if they indicate they do not feel fit to participate.
In addition to prescreening your firefighters, the officer should also emphasize additional safety factors before beginning the improvised FCC. These include:
- Emphasize that safety is everyone’s responsibility. Announce to the participants that if they begin to feel exhausted or fatigued at any time, they should immediately stop and notify someone.
- Emphasize there is no shame or embarrassment in stopping. The improvised FCC is very physically demanding, and participants may need to enhance their fitness level before they’re able to complete the entire course.
- Know the capabilities of your personnel. The officer and the other firefighters should closely monitor the participants. If firefighters seem to be pushing themselves too hard (e.g., breathing too hard, pale skin color), the evolution should be stopped. When we conduct the improvised FCC in my station, I assign each participant a partner who watches them closely. In addition to counting exercise repetitions, the partners also encourage and monitor the participants, using phrases such as, “Take your time, you’re doing well,” and “Stop and take some deep breaths … Feeling OK?”
Set Up
The improvised FCC is best conducted in teams of two (or more), which allow the firefighters to encourage each other through the course. One firefighter can serve as the timekeeper while the other competes.
Using some equipment around the fire station (see Equipment at end of article), you can develop several stations for your firefighters to complete in succession. You’re only limited by your imagination. Start out with a few basic stations and build from there. If the weather is poor, you can even keep it indoors.
Following are a few simple stations to consider (all stations are to be completed in full turnout gear and SCBA):
- Step-up on two rolled sections of 4″ hose for 2 minutes while wearing full gear and shouldering a high-rise pack (Figure 1). This initial station gets your firefighters’ heart rates up for the rest of the course. Two firefighters can compete against each other stepping up and down for 2 minutes. The timekeeper calls out time in increments of 15—30 seconds while the teammates of the first round of firefighters provide encouragement.
- Walk across the apparatus bay, pick up a 50-lb. bag of ice melt, and carry it 50 feet. This station provides a brief respite after the first station. It also requires firefighters to use large muscles and proper lifting technique to get the load on their shoulders. At the end of the desired distance, the firefighters place the ice melt on the ground and immediately begin the next station.
- Follow the hoseline. Firefighters immediately begin crawling as they follow a 1 ¾” hoseline. This station requires the firefighter to use upper body muscles. The hose can be stretched from the area in which the initial stations were conducted to the next station.
- Raise and lower a rolled 50′ section of 3″ hose (Figure 2). After ensuring the structural stability of the station roof, we used webbing and a carabiner to create this station. The firefighter raises and lowers the 3″ hose five times. They’re reminded not to let the rope slide through their hands. If you do not want to set up two identical versions of this station, have the “leading” firefighter complete this station first while the “trailing” firefighter completes the next station. As they complete their respective stations, they switch.
- Complete 25 push-ups (Figure 3). The firefighters drop and complete 25 push-ups, which are called out by their partner. Remember: The firefighters are in full turnouts while completing the improvised FCC, so they often get pretty “winded” at this point. If your firefighters are having difficulty completing this exercise, have them complete the push-ups in sets of 5 or 10, or complete them on their knees.
- With a 10-lb. weight attached to the hook end of a pike pole, complete 25 simulated “ceiling pulls” with each arm. This is one of my favorite exercises. Again, have the firefighter’s teammate call out each ceiling pull. Be sure to secure the weight thoroughly and have the firefighters use care when returning these weighted hooks to the bay floor. To effectively secure a 10-lb. weight to the end of a pike pole, we use a lot of duct tape. We place the center of a 10-lb. plate over the pike end and wrap the duct tape copiously around the plate and under the hook. Every few wraps, we change direction and wrap around the hook portion. This will “lock down” the plate onto the end of the pike pole. Although this seems haphazard, it effectively secures the plate to the pike pole. Note: Most firefighters will be pretty tired at this point. Be sure to have their partner monitor them closely during this station to prevent a participant from losing control of the weighted hook.
- Using a piece of webbing, drag your teammate 50 feet to the finish line (Figure 4). Using the same area you marked off for the 50-lb. carry station, instruct each firefighter to drag their teammate. Using their personal webbing, each firefighter quickly wraps their teammate in their desired manner and drags them to the finish line. This is the final station. At this point, the race is on between each team. The competing firefighters are breathless and their teammates (who are being dragged) yell out encouragement. It’s fun to watch as each firefighter (with legs and arms aching) pushes through this last station. Important: Be sure to match like-size firefighters for this station to avoid unequal drag weights.
Once one participant crosses the finish line, the next teammate immediately begins their turn through all seven stations. Be sure to have someone reset each station after each competitor. You can also stop and have each pair of “competing firefighters” start a new round. You can time each firefighter individually or as a team.
Visible Results
The improvised FCC is an excellent means to build teamwork while encouraging physical fitness. Firefighters develop healthy competition as they encourage each other through the stations. It also helps remind firefighters of the physical demands of the fireground and the importance of remaining physically fit.
Another benefit: The FCC can be conducted in the apparatus bay with existing equipment in the station. It takes a few short minutes to set up. Although it seems basic, this small collection of exercises can rapidly fatigue a seemingly fit firefighter.
Since we started conducting our improvised FCC, the firefighters cannot stop talking about it. They challenge personnel to complete the course, and brag to other companies about it. It has definitely served to help improve both teamwork and the physical fitness of our firefighters.
Equipment
The equipment you’ll need for an improvised FCC will of course depend on the specific stations you develop. Here’s some of the equipment we used:
- Full turnout gear for each firefighter (including SCBA)
- Four sections of 4″ hose
- Two high-rise packs
- Traffic cones
- Two 50-lb. bags of ice melt
- One 50′ section of 1 ¾” hose
- Two 10-lb. plates
- Two 12′ pike poles
- One roll of duct tape
- One piece of chalk
- One 50′ section of static rope
- One pulley
- Three sections of webbing
- One carabiner
- One 50′ section of 3″ hose
