Staying fit as a serving firefighter: annual fitness testing

The national fitness standard for serving firefighters

Fitness is not just a recruitment hurdle. A London Fire Commissioner report of April 2024 explains the national background. In 2016 the Home Office and the National Joint Council (the LGA and FBU Secretariat) published the Firefighter Fitness Best Practice Guide, which sets out best practice for managing fitness of operational firefighters. The standards come from research at the University of Bath, and an earlier 2009 report, Fitness for Fire and Rescue, established the Chester Treadmill Test as a national industry-standard method.

The minimum standard for operational firefighters to carry out their role safely and effectively was established as equivalent to a VO2 max of 42.3 ml/kg/min. For incident commanders, meaning those holding the rank of Station Manager (formerly Station Commander) and above, the figure is 36.8 ml/kg/min. The standard was derived by measuring the metabolic load of arduous, critical tasks including a hose run, equipment carry, stair climb and casualty evacuation. The 2009 report expressed the same idea as 42 ml/kg/min applicable irrespective of age, gender or duty system.

The Home Office Modern Firefighter Fitness Guide, published in August 2018, explains why physical fitness matters across response, prevention and protection roles and helps candidates prepare for selection tests. If you are preparing for selection rather than serving, see our guides to the firefighter fitness test and fitness tests explained. This guide focuses on staying fit once you are in.

Annual testing: what best practice says and how services apply it

The LFB report quotes the position that annual testing is stipulated as best practice in the national guidance, and that evidence shows testing that takes place annually is more likely to help firefighters maintain the required fitness than less frequent testing. It also notes fitness can decline over a short period. LFB’s own history illustrates that services are at different stages: the report says LFB did not have a programme of periodic fitness testing at that time and set out a phased plan for annual testing for all operational staff, starting in June 2024, after an earlier centralised model was paused during the pandemic.

Other services already test. Cumbria Fire and Rescue publishes a fitness policy for operational staff, and search results for other services describe annual fitness and health screens including blood pressure monitoring and a submaximal test, either the multistage fitness test or the Chester Treadmill Walk Test, delivered by a fitness and wellbeing team. Practice varies: some services test annually, some less often, and consequences for not meeting the standard differ. Read your own policy and ask how often you will be tested and what happens if you do not pass.

The 2016 guide’s stated intention, as summarised by the FBU, was to prompt management to treat fitness as a priority and to move away from punitive approaches to a supportive one. That principle appears in the LFB proposals, which include a support and management process for people who do not meet the standard, and cultural initiatives to promote regular exercise. It is a useful benchmark when you read your service’s policy.

How results are graded: red, amber and green

National guidance attributes a red-amber-green (RAG) system to periodic fitness test outcomes. In the LFB report, for ranks from firefighter to station officer, green means fit, with an estimated VO2 max of 42.3 or greater: completing the full 12 minutes of the Chester Treadmill Test, reaching level 8.8 of the bleep test, or running 1.5 miles in 12 minutes 25 seconds or less.

Amber means potentially unfit, with an estimated VO2 max between 35.6 and 42.2: between 9 minutes 50 seconds and 11 minutes 59 seconds of the Chester Treadmill Test, between level 6.8 and 8.7 of the bleep test, or a 1.5-mile time between 12 minutes 26 seconds and 15 minutes 4 seconds. Red means unfit, with an estimated VO2 max of 35.5 or less: less than 9 minutes 50 seconds on the treadmill, below level 6.8 on the bleep test or a 1.5-mile run longer than 15 minutes 4 seconds.

What follows from an amber or red result is a matter for local policy. The LFB proposals describe tailored fitness support and management, retesting at a central hub and time to improve, and some services have used drill ground tests for further assessment. Ask for your service’s written process. A red result on one day does not always mean an immediate operational restriction, but you should understand the timescale and support available.

Support, adjustments and age, pregnancy and menopause

The Grey Book supports fitness in general terms. It says authorities are encouraged to provide facilities to enable employees to maintain or improve their levels of fitness as part of an overall health and fitness culture, and that a professional occupational health service should provide periodic health examinations and advice, education and guidance on health, fitness and welfare. Reasonable paid time off must be granted for cancer screening.

The LFB report acknowledges that fitness may decline with age, though this may be addressed by regular exercise, and that pregnancy, maternity and menopause will affect the ability to maintain cardiovascular fitness for a time. It says tailored support is available through the service’s fitness advice team, and that focused support is planned for groups who, on average, find it harder to maintain the standard, including women and older staff. Any test is likely to have a differential impact, which is why services justify their choice as necessary and proportionate and keep it under review.

If you are returning from maternity leave, the Grey Book says you should attend an occupational health check before returning to operational duties, and many services offer fitness support. If injury, illness or a medical condition affects your fitness, tell occupational health early, because the Grey Book allows an employer to require a medical examination where a condition could prevent duties, and adjustments or redeployment may be considered. See maternity and paternity leave and firefighter mental health support.

Training to stay above the line: a practical framework

Aerobic fitness is the limiting factor for most people, and it responds to a consistent mix of steady running, intervals and strength work. This is general fitness guidance, not medical advice; check with a GP or your occupational health team before starting a demanding programme, particularly if you have a health condition, are returning from injury or have not trained for a while.

A simple weekly structure works for most shift workers: two or three aerobic sessions, one of them at a steady pace and one with intervals, plus one or two strength sessions that include carries, pulls and leg work, and a mobility session. Because rotas change, plan by the week rather than by the day, and use rota days for the harder sessions. Rest and sleep matter as much as training, especially around night shifts, and the HSE’s fatigue guidance is a reminder to protect recovery.

Monitor progress with the same test you will face. If your service uses the bleep test, you can benchmark your level against 8.8. Our free bleep test calculator helps you translate a level into an estimated VO2 max, and the fitness readiness tool gives a broader picture. For a structured plan and test-specific preparation, the fitness pass suite is a paid option.

Fitness, injury and your career

Fitness affects your career in several ways. A failed test can trigger a support and management process; long-term injury or a condition that prevents duties can lead to redeployment or ill-health retirement; and physical injury on duty has its own entitlements. It is worth understanding those routes before they are needed. See firefighter sick pay, firefighter ill-health retirement and injured on duty entitlements.

Promotion adds different requirements. Incident commanders have a lower aerobic standard in national guidance, but the role also has its own demands and your service’s policy will apply. See firefighter ranks and career progression for how roles change.

Finally, fitness supports wellbeing. The LFB report cites NHS information that physically active adults have a lower risk of premature death and major chronic diseases, and lists reducing sickness, injury, stress, anxiety and depression among its aims. Building exercise into your routine, in company where possible, is one of the most practical things you can do for a long career.

Step-by-step: your annual fitness plan

Use this sequence to prepare for your service’s test and keep improving between tests.

1. Get your service’s written fitness policy and find out which tests are offered and how often you will be tested.
2. Take a baseline: your last result, or a practice bleep test or 1.5-mile run.
3. Set a target above the line, for example level 9.0 on the bleep test if you are at 8.8, to leave a margin for a bad day.
4. Plan two or three aerobic sessions and one or two strength sessions each week, timed around your rota.
5. Retest every four to six weeks under similar conditions and record the results.
6. If you are amber or red, ask for the support and management process in writing and agree a timeline.
7. Tell occupational health about any injury, illness, pregnancy or medical issue that affects training.