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London Fire Brigade is to reinstate its annual fitness test and align its approach to national standards as it seeks assurance that its operational staff are safe and effective in their roles. The change will start on 1 June with a phased approach including station based testing and the launch of LFB Move, an initiative designed to encourage all staff to take part in fitness activities.
National fitness standards are currently used by the majority of fire and rescue services in the UK and involve measurements of VO2 – a way of determining how much oxygen the body is using. The national threshold for firefighter fitness was established based on the physical demands of the role.
The report to the London Fire Commissioner concludes that ‘the national V02 test is a necessary and proportionate means of ensuring fitness to undertake the roles’ from firefighter to station manager, adding that ‘periodic fitness testing at regular intervals is an important factor in supporting firefighters to maintain their required fitness levels.’
One of the drivers for making this change in London is the findings of a 2021 report on the physiological demands of high-rise operations by Dr Bilzon on Bath University – on whose research the national VO2 standard is based.
‘Taking into account the particular nature of fire-fighting activities in London and Dr Bilzon’s observations about the importance of the level of physical fitness in relation to those specific activities, there is a reasonable justification for adopting the national VO2 standard in London.’
The Brigade will test levels of V02 using three measurements: the Chester Treadmill Test; a multi stage fitness test (the ‘bleep’ test) and the 1.5 mile run test. Staff taking part in the tests will be offered the choice of one of the tests subject to a health and safety impact assessment and the results will be categorised into green, amber and red.
Staff in the red category will be removed from operational duties and placed on ‘light duties.’ This aligns with the national standard. The report outlines how it will help staff to improve their fitness and achieve the levels required to carry out full duties.
As a result of the work to introduce the new fitness testing regime, the Brigade audited its treadmills and found that they are ‘almost universally out of acceptable tolerance in respect of elevation.’ The Chester Treadmill Test is a 12 minute test created specifically for firefighters and requires the treadmill to be increased in elevation over that time. The Brigade will be looking to buying 52 new treadmills but doesn’t currently have agreement for this £200k+ investment so will use the existing machines during the first year of the new testing regime.
The second phase of this change to fitness testing will start in June 2025 and will include annual testing of staff at station manager and above, elective testing of non-operational staff, the development of LFB Physical Training Instructors to support the regime and amendments to policies.
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