Development and evaluation of a test drill for assessing physical work capacity of fire-fighters

A submaximal job-related test drill was developed for assessing physical work capacity of fire-fighters at worksites. The drill with the fixed maximal working time of 14.5 min consists of five common smoke-diving (entry into a smoke-filled space) tasks done with full personal protective equipment. Cardiac strain of the drill and its dependence on the maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and age were studied with 59 experienced male fire-fighters aged 27–54 years. Their VO2max ranged from 29.7 to 67.0 ml/min/kg for cycling. Heart rate (HR) in the tasks of the drill was 91–184 beats/min corresponding to cardiac strain of 49–99% of the maximal HR. The estimated mean VO2 of the drill was 26 ml/min/kg and 2.1 l/min (56% VO2max). Cardiac strain was significantly related to VO2max (r = −0.50, p< 0.001) but insignificantly to age. The test drill efficiently rated fire-fighters according to their physical work capacity, and showed to be a valid and feasible method for the use in fire stations.