Occupational-specific tasks

The occupational-specific tasks were used to assess operational performance and were conducted according to the testing protocol of the CoCTFRS wellness manual. The CoCTFRS worked with professionals in the field to establish the occupational-specific tasks as part of the fitness and wellness programme. The occupational-specific tasks consisted of tasks that are intended to replicate the numerous tasks that firefighters are required to carry out, while also attempting to replicate the physical strains to which firefighters are frequently exposed to. Firefighters were required to complete the entire simulation protocol in under 9 min (540 s), which included the allowed 20 s of recovery between tasks. Firefighters wore their full PPE equipment and breathing apparatus set, in order to pass. The simulation included six tasks, which were used to simulate various stressors firefighters are placed under. These tasks encompassed the step-up, charged hose drag and pull, forcible entry, equipment carry, ladder raise and extension and the rescue drag. Individual occupational-specific tasks each had their own completion times that needed to be met in order to pass the  testing battery. Failure to complete a task resulted in firefighters being graded as “not yet competent”. The step-up required firefighters to perform 30 step-ups on a standardized platform of 200 mm and were given a time limit of 90 s. The charged hose drag and pull required firefighters to drag a tyre 27 m, drop to one knee or in a seated position, pull a tyre another 15 m and had a time limit of 180 s. The firefighters moved to the forcible entry task where they were required pick up a 6-kg sledgehammer to drive the tyre 600 mm in under 60 s. For the equipment carry, firefighters were tasked to remove two 25 kg foam drums from a 1.2-m platform, carry the foam drums 25 m and walk back another 25 m, placing the drums back on the platform which needed to be completed in under 90 s. For the ladder raise and extension firefighters were tasked to walk a seven-to-eight-meter ladder toward a building, place the ladder against the building and immediately walk toward a hauling line and hoist a 35 kg drum until it reaches the pulley and then lower the drum, in under the time limit of 90 s. Then, firefighters lower the ladder and walk the ladder back to the starting position. The rescue drag required firefighters to grasp an 80 kg tyre and drag the tyre 11 m, perform a 180-degree turn and continue for another 11 m toward the finish line in under 60 s. A full description of the occupational-specific tasks can be found in Ras et al. [35].