Firefighter Fitness

Firefighter fitness is not something new in the fire service. Just look at large departments like NYFD and LAFD to see how fitness is an important part of a firefighter’s lifestyle. Captain Michael Stefano of the NYFD has put together an impressive workout book that has helped recruits successfully score high in the CPAT. Every potential firefighter should start training while before an application is submitted and contain that training for the greater part of their life. The CPAT must be successfully completed in less than 10 minutes. However, the faster times usually place an applicant higher on the selection list.

Once you have earned the badge and are part of the Brotherhood, should you stop maintaining your fitness? Whether career, paid-on-call, or volunteer many firefighters are overweight or out of shape and never plan on doing anything about it. Since I was put on my department's recruit committee, I have started putting together proposal to improve the CPAT that applicants go through and how to improve the overall department's level of fitness. Remember, the adrenaline is kicking when you roll up on a residential structure fire at 2 AM. What about during overhaul and breakdown? That's just as important as the initial attack and requires more endurance and a higher level of fitness to safely complete those tasks.