BLM firefighters compete in physical fitness challenge

Billings Veterans Fire Crew
Billings Veterans Fire Crew. (BLM photo by Cody Phillips)

By Karly DeMars, BLM State Fire Planner; and Chris Barth, BLM State Fire Mitigation and Education Specialist

Physical fitness is essential to firefighter performance, mental health, and safety. For example, fatigue has been found to be a contributing factor in many firefighter accidents. To encourage physical fitness, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) sponsors the annual BLM Fire Operations Fitness Challenge. The voluntary fitness challenge provides a common system by which BLM firefighters can measure current fitness, establish fitness goals, track fitness improvement, and receive recognition for their efforts.

Recently, several BLM Montana/Dakotas wildland firefighters participated in the annual BLM Fire Operations Fitness Challenge. The highest scoring male and female participants in Montana/Dakotas were recognized for their achievements. Both are firefighters from the North Central Montana District and work at the Zortman Fire Station. First-year seasonal firefighter, Jessica Race, was the top female participant and third-year seasonal firefighter, Kevin Henry, was the top male participant. Those participants scoring a Level 4 (300 points) were also recognized for their achievements.

BLM fitness winners
Left: Kevin Henry, a third-year firefighter from North Central Montana District/Zortman Fire Station, displays his award for being the highest achieving male participant in Montana/Dakotas in the 2021 BLM Fire Operations Fitness Challenge. (Photo by Karly DeMars). Right:Jessica Race, a first-year firefighter from North Central Montana District/Zortman Fire Station, carries a chainsaw after completing project work this summer. Jess is the highest achieving female participant in Montana/Dakotas in the 2021 BLM Fire Operations Fitness Challenge. (BLM photo by Jessica Race)

“Firefighter fitness and well-being are the foundation to maintaining a healthy and resilient workforce to meet the demands of the job. BLM Montana/Dakotas encourages all our firefighting staff and partners to participate in high-quality training and fitness activities for the challenges they face,” said Aaron Thompson, BLM Montana/Dakotas State Fire Management Officer. “While the BLM Fire Operations Fitness Challenge is voluntary, Montana/Dakotas firefighters consistently participate in this annual activity, and we are proud of both Kevin and Jessica for their accomplishments.”

The BLM Fire Operations Fitness Challenge tests participants in four basic exercises — push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and a timed run of either 1.5 or 3.0 miles. Participants are evaluated using a point system for each exercise category. Achievement is categorized in level increments where Level 1 is the minimum and Level 5 the maximum fitness level.

Congratulations to all 2021 BLM Fire Operations Fitness Challenge participants!

For more information on BLM’s Fire Operations Fitness Challenge, visit: www.nifc.gov/about-us/our-partners/blm/training/fitness-challenge.

 

Firefighters: four recommendations for eating, drinking, and working out

wildfire

Dr. Brent Ruby is a professor at the University of Montana who studies extreme physiology, including how wildland firefighting impacts the body. In 2011 we wrote an article titled The myth of drinking water which included the results of some of Dr. Ruby’s research, as well as his thoughts about the firefighter hyperthemia fatality on the CR 337 fire in Texas.

Men’s Journal has an interesting article featuring Dr. Ruby and some of his recommendations for firefighters. Below is an excerpt:

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“Workouts should mirror job demands.

Rather than banging out a 10k in featherweight running sneakers every morning, crewmembers should go for long hikes on steep trails wearing a heavy backpack and clunky boots. “Hiking with a heavy load – that’s job-specific aerobic training.”

Eat constantly.

Ruby has found that to be safely working at peak condition, they should consume 4,500 calories a day with a number of “eating episodes.” If what’s supposed to be an eight-hour shift turns into a 12-hour shift, Hotshots should have easy access to quality calories. “They need an elaborate food plan that accommodates unpredictable shifts. We envision giving them ownership of the menu, where they can mix and match 12 items,” he says.

Aim for variety in calories.

Ruby suggests packing a high-quality red meat for protein; several types of fresh fruit; carbs in the form of oats and rice; carrots and broccoli for diversity; and loads of dried fruits and nuts. “They need foods that satisfies and doesn’t leave them focusing on how hungry they still are,” Ruby says. “Their job is fire suppression. As soon as they’re distracted from fire suppression, other risks crop up.”

Drink water – and lots of it.

The best way to think about hydration, according to Ruby, is in terms of “water turnover” over a 24 hour period, or how much water you take in and dump out through sweat and urine. On average, the water turnover for Hotshots is 7 to 9.5 liters a day. “You have to make sure you’re taking in somewhere in that range – probably a liter more than you’re putting out,” he says. Being sufficiently hydrated alone, however, isn’t going to stop you from overheating in a high-stress situation, warns Ruby.”

A cop looks at hotshot fitness

A law enforcement officer wrote an article about the fitness standards and programs for interagency hotshot crews. Jim Vaglica is a full-time police sergeant on call 24/7 with a regional SWAT team in the Boston area. He is a strength and conditioning specialist, a police sergeant, and is a cast member of Mark Burnett’s “Expedition Impossible”. The article was published by Bodybuilding.com.

In describing hotshots, he said, “If I had to relate it to my own professional background, I’d say it’s the difference between a squad of police officers and a SWAT team.”

Below are more excerpts from the article:

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“THIS IS UNIQUE WORK. WHAT SORT OF STRENGTH DOES IT DEMAND?

Unlike fighting structure fires, where brute strength is paramount, the physical demands of wildland firefighting are vastly different. You’re not going to be carrying a 200-pound man down a flight of stairs and out of a burning building. No one on the crew gives a crap “How much ya bench?” All they care about is that you can swing a tool all day without bitching and moaning, and then get up the next day and do it again. If you look at most hotshot crews, you’ll see a lot of slender builds. Excessive muscle mass doesn’t get you anywhere. It just slows you down.

WHAT IS THE TOUGHEST PART OF THE JOB?

When you’re actually fighting a fire, the almost unbearable conditions seem to have no end. After a few hours of working in 110-degree heat with no shade, you may start to think that there’s no way you can finish the day, but you know that everyone else on your crew is suffering too. You just push through it for the guys on either side of you. If you go down, they’ll have to pick up your slack. When you’re in the middle of nowhere punching in line, you can’t just jump in your car and go home. You take another big swig of hot water, you deal with it, and you keep going.”