Arizona firefighter dies while taking pack test

On Saturday, March 8, 61-year old  volunteer firefighter Bobby Mollere of the Hellsgate Fire Department in Star Valley, Arizona collapsed and died while taking the pack test version of the Work Capacity Test, which requires a person to carry a 45-pound pack for three miles in less than 45 minutes. The cause of death was listed as “stress/overexertion” and heart attack.

Below is the official notice from the U.S. Fire Administration:

While performing a Wildland Pack Test, Lieutenant Mollere collapsed on the Payson High School track. Fellow firefighters on scene initiated a medical assessment and found Mollere in cardiac arrest. The EMTs and Paramedics began advanced life support immediately on scene. Lieutenant Mollere was transported to the Payson Regional Medical Center where resuscitative efforts continued until he passed away. Incident Location: Payson High School track, AZ (U.S. National Grid: 12S VC 6952 8857)

Our sincere condolences go out to Mr. Mollere’s family, friends, and fellow firefighters.

Previously we have written about other fatalities and serious injuries that occurred while taking the Pack Test. Federal land management agencies and some other organizations require that their on-the-ground firefighters pass the test once a year in order to be qualified to fight wildland fires.

Laguna Hot Shots taking Pack Test
File photo of the Laguna Hot Shots, based at Descanso, California, taking the Pack Test while wearing weighted vests. Photo by Laguna Hotshots.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

17 thoughts on “Arizona firefighter dies while taking pack test”

  1. I’m a wildland firefighter veteran of 36 fire seasons with a state agency, and a volunteer fire chief. I’ve passed the arduous pack test for about 8 years but I’ll guarantee you at 61 years old, even in good physical fitness, it takes more effort. I train for about 100 miles prior to the test. Last year I passed the test but afterwards the lower back cramps didn’t alleviate. Long story short, over a long firefighting career I’d developed stenosis that was primarily asymptomatic until the pack test injury occurred. I missed most of last fire season and now face surgery to recover. Unlike the USFS that has a retirement for 20 year fire staff to retire at 57 many state and local agencies have compulsory arduous pack testing up to age 65. Our firefighting community is seeing more issues and injuries for older firefighters in this environment.

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  2. Sorry to hear of this loss.

    I’m in the over 60 crowd and have to take a agency physical each year. Not much of one is done. Poke and prod, make sure you can see and hear, listen to your heart and breathing. Had one PA who seemed very challenged understanding English. One year the tech doing the EKG messed it up leading to complications. My regular MD who also does a annual EKG since I was 40 along with a very intense physical and a stress EKG every five years had to override it. Keeping a healthy life style and physically fit year round is the key. It adds to general overall better health and a longer more active life. I walk daily at least 6 miles a day, at times 12 or 13, 3 of them at pack test pace and start doing it with the weight about 45 day prior to the test. The test is challenging, but I finish it in a sweat, but not out of breath or with major suffering or pain the following days in about 43 to 44.59. I know a 66 year old who does it in 40-42 minutes. Being in shape is very important and supervisors should keep an eye on employees and set the example. I have seen several younger firefighters over the years get fat and lazy and lose their jobs after repeated failures of the pack test. In law enforcement I have seen far to many very out of shape officers with a couple of agencies, Interior and FS. Lose a fight and you lose your life. I’m not sure what standards they have to meet now.

    JMG 34 is a darn good time.

    I look at the pack test as a yearly challenge and do take pride in completing it on or ahead of time. Keeping fit is hard work, but as you do, it becomes a habit, a addiction of sorts and a enjoyable part of the day, paid or not. And it gets you out of the damn office…

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    1. I guess I failed to mention that I do have long legs, and have and still do a lot of hiking and some running over all types of terrain. Fortunately I have good knees,good ankles, good set of lungs, and good genes and many ancestors who lived well into their mid to late 90’s. I wish good luck and hope all firefighters will stay always safe.

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  3. My thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of the firefighter who died.
    I do not see the pack test as the problem here. If someone is going to have a medical issue during the test, most likely it was going to happen in the field. At least during the test, plans can be made for EMS to be standing by during the test. I have done pack tests where this was the case. If the issue occurs on the fireline, you may be hours from help. I agree with having a regular physical before the test, I do each year. Beyond this I feel that it is part of the inherient risk of the job….

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  4. I agree with Ken and Leo. As primary and secondary firefighters in the federal government are given one hoar each day for paid PT, not enough take it. It still amazes me how many people don’t use this privilege. Having spent many years on engines and hotshots, I can say the only real difference is what kind of rig gets you to the fire. Even engine folks have to hike and dig line, so why don’t they PT like it.
    I wonder if the rate of medical issues during the pack test has increased for the USFS since we stopped requiring yearly physicals?
    Also, last year MTDC started testing new fitness standards for hotshot crews. These involved a three mile hike with 45lb pack similar to the pack test, but the course had to have a certain amount of elevation increase. They also tested sit-ups and planks. This test was much more relevant to the job.

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  5. Ken, regarding cardiac evaluations, a complete one can be pretty pricey and have other problems. And, some of these incidents involve things like rhabdo or compartment syndrome or simple heat stress, that a cardiac evaluation can’t catch, anyway. You are completely right that self-screening has issues. Perhaps more attention to tracking prep for the test, to make certain that they aren’t just hopping off the couch, could head some of this off? Clearly there is an issue of overwork in some cases.

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  6. You speak the truth,Ken…

    Until the agencies LEARN what it takes to reclassify and come into the 21st Century …..

    This will continue…….maybe the LMA’s ought to be practicing PT on a daily basis and on a 2080 schedule and PAY the entire PFT , WAE, TERM, etc like the military….

    Oh wait….aren’t they already trying to emulate them?

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  7. Very sad….. Bill, you and I can remember when we went from NO test to step test/run to pack test. Having long legs in the step test was a big advantage there too. And the fact that you had a “man’s” height and “woman’s” height with out any consideration fro the actual height of the person showed just how flawed that test was. And there were ways to cheat that test with your breathing while your pulse was being taken!
    So with that said, to me the pack test was the best compromise they could come up with. A running only test would not have worked very well IMO as many folks can hike and work all day with weight on there back, but are not good runners due to other reasons beside pure fitness. I saw on hotshot crews I was on that just being a good runner did not guarantee that you could do hotshot work all day long, day after day.
    I remember quite a few years age the BLM instituted a free in depth physical with treadmill stress test to their employees over 40 after a fatality like this (I believe it was). That turned out to be very expensive and unwieldy to administer so it disappeared in a couple years. If we continue with only self assessment for the arduous WCT, things like this are probably going to happen, and even with a doctors sign off there are no guarantees.

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  8. About 2 or 3 times a year I get saddened and pissed off when I hear about these tragedies. On another 10 or 15 times per year, I hear about near-misses and hospitalizations related to the WCT.

    At some point the Agencies need to be held accountable for piss poor pre-screening and non-medical approval of HSQ’s as an evaluation to take the WCT.

    Self assesment HSQ’s are an utter and chilling example of “swiss cheese” holes that keep lining up each year.

    Before taking the WCT, the AGENCIES should be PAYING FOR a complete cardiac evaluation and approval for the test being obtained by a competent MEDICAL DOCTOR….. not by a agency human resource specialist who looks to see if you checked any boxes on the HSQ before they give approval for the test.

    I have written at length on this… protested even more…. but few in the AGENCIES seem to care that we have a latent system failure that is killing and injuring firefighters each and every year.

    Maybe next step is OSHA…. “failure to provide a workplace of known hazards…” and “Serious – Willful: Failure to abate a known hazard to safety that could result in serious injury and/or death”.

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    1. So, at what point is it the employee responsibility to self evaluate on if they can even do the test? If those 44 minutes are the most strenuous long duration activity a person does in a calendar year, chances are you probably shouldn’t be taking the pack test.

      Seems that everything is up to the agency, but the employee needs to meet them half way.

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  9. Condolences to all involved.

    I realize that for any event involving physical exertion there is some risk. Do the numbers actually reflect the uptick in issues with this test that seems to exist? I don’t see a problem with the test itself, and it fact it may be easy given the demands of the job, but if there are more issues in the aggregate, now, there may be a self-screening issue before the test is taken.

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    1. First off condolences to the family of the fallen firefighter. I agree with with SR. I remember when the pack first came out. We feared it. As time went by its amazing at actually what a easy test it really is.I enjoyed much more than the step test,which was a terribly flawed test of one’s physical abilities. The last time I took it I was 54 ,did it above 6000ft elevation where you get the extra minute and at a leisurely pace finished in 34 minutes. I saw lots of people get real nervous about the test and tried to do it as fast as they could. A guy I worked with even took a smoke break during the test and still did it in 40 minutes{show off!] Maybe the pre test physicals are too easy. I sure do not want to hear any more accidents with this test. Please when you take it just relax.

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      1. Good points, JMG. Both the Step Test and the Pack Test have their flaws. Using the pulse rate as the only measure of fitness as the Step Test does is ridiculous. And people with long legs have a distinct advantage while completing the Pack Test.

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      2. If you did the ARDUOS WCTat a leisurely 34 minutes, you wereat a pacewell above whatpeople usually walkat.

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        1. The pace for the Arduous WCT is 4mph, that is in no way a leisurely pace. I have a hard time believing that someone stopped for a smoke break and still finished in 40min.

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          1. Certainly an unnatural pace for a lot of folks. I’ve seen folks do it that truly just look like they’re going for a Sunday afternoon stroll, and finish in good time. I have short legs though, and it’s just shy of an all out run for me to have a shot at it. I could go for many miles at a normal pace, but maintaining that pace is a booger just to keep the feet moving that fast without a true run.

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