Fitness test for SAR personnel - Page 1

Hi Guys,
We have our annual SAR fitness test on Sunday.

It is the endurance portion of the first responder fitness test. The endurance portion requires a person,

 
carry a 45lb pack, 3 miles, in a maximum time of 45 minutes
I was wondering if any other SAR teams have a fitness test and what it consists of.

C

 

We never did but it would have been excellent. I was an avid hiker and had no troubles but some of our team had desk jobs and did not do athletics on weekends they had issues. I could not pass one these days sadly as I did have a leg issue last five years and have packed on weight but I am trying to get back in form now that a wondeful doctor got it repaired correctly for me.

 G,
It must be hard not being able to go hiking like you used to.
Good luck and wishing you a speedy recovery.

C

LOL!     If all SAR groups implemented a fitness test today there would be a lot of openings on teams.

C,

   Thank you very much! It has been frustrating and a joy to be fully mobile again and with no pain finally. We will get there, my dogs and I. Like I told the doctor, I am to young to settle for life with the cane if there is something that can be done about it. I am sad it took so long to find that doctor, but I am happy I did. I have never let it stop me :) I have seen someone in a wheel chair do schutzhund. There are others worse off than I. I will be the still not steady on my feet heafty 40's woman double handling my pup at the sieger and it won't be pretty but I wouldnt miss it for anything. I am already hiking basic trails again, The smokies here are awesome. You can't resist them.

  I was always surprised by everyone being scared of the stay the night out in the wilderness with only your pack and dog test. I could not think of anything more fun, peaceful and wonderful to do personally. My least favorite sar activity is helicopters. Never mind the muzzle on the dog, better to put it on me :)

...sounds pretty standard to me. There has to me some threshold/line-drawn-in-the-sand for tests like these. From what I've experienced from a missions perspective....you'll need to multiply that 45 mins X 4 hrs.. If anyone can hold their stamina 3 hrs. <....they make the cut.

clc...it's not as arduous...just prove your moxie. Dig deep, and you'll be ok. 3miles to me= approx. 5km. Doable to me, and certainly it can be doable to you. Good luck, and let me know how it goes.

PT tests are pretty standard for most wilderness SAR teams.  Ours has one too but the time allowed is longer - terrain in Vermont is rugged.  It would be really tough to clambor over typical Vermont wooded terrain with a full pack in 45 minutes.  If the team runs this walking along a road, I would question the point.  Endurance is a key element to fitness.  I agree with the earlier poster who mentioned 4 hours. 

Our team has the PT test which is 'scheduled at the discretion of the executive board'.   I know of one team which was unable to address a situation with a member who developed a considerable weight issue  due to no PT test on the books.
If everyone is obviously in excellent condition, why take up valuable team time to run an unecessary test? If you train together regularly, you all know well who is in shape and who is not.

good luck,   Alex Whitelock, VSARK9

G,
I hear ya. I am 44. You go girl!! I am a firm believer in the power of the mind. If you set your mind to it you can accomplish what you want. Even though I live in the southwest I've been in the smokies with family. They are beautiful. Sleeping out in the wilderness has never scared me. In fact, it is almost soothing to hear nothing but the wildlife making their nightly rounds.

Kacey,
Thanks for the support.
This is my second year.
Last year I did it in 44 mins.
I can hike all day (8 hours) at, 6000'+ altitude, with my search pack (which weighs in at around 30 lbs.) and only end up being a little sore footed.
It's that extra 15 lbs. at 4mph  that's the true test of stamina.
You are right, it is a true test of moxie.
Last year, I drink one of those 5 hour energy drinks, put my head phones on and got in the zone.

PS: Your baby (girl/boy?) is sure a nice looking dog. We have a golden on our team (Diego) he is a really cool dog. His handler is getting a new puppy (golden) in August. I can't wait. We will have 3 puppies in training. Yippee.
Will keep you posted.

C

VL,
You have a valid point.

I asked why this test in particular and it was explained to me as such. I has been proven that the 45lb weight and time allowed is the true test of a persons stamina. First responders are not allowed to run this distance.

Our searches are always in rugged terrain at altitudes of 6,000-11,000 feet elevation.

C

our team is in the process of implementing a fitness test. We already know who will have difficulities passing the test because of the difficulties they have during standard training sessions. Without written expectations or standards it would be hard to justify limiting a members participation.

You don't have to have a 4hr test to judge a person's potential stamina. The 3 mile/45 min pack test is pretty standard for red card (wilderness firefighting) test. Standard Military PT test for the oldest age bracket is only around 18 minutes and for the youngest age is around 12 minutes (no pack) 1 1/2 miles. It's just a bare minimun.

With all that being said, there are several duties a SAR team member can have that may not be so dependant on physical fitness.