wildland firefighters: work capacity tests

Not too long after I began writing this blog on aerial wildland firefighting, I heard about the annual "pack test"  that wildland firefighters must pass before they can work on a wildfire crew fighting wildfires. The Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (aka the Red Book) has chapter on Firefighter Training and Qualifications (Chapter 13 in the 2021 Red Book) where the pack test is called the "work capacity test. There are three levels of a work capacity tests depending on the job that the firefighter has as shown in this screenshot from The Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (aka the Red Book), Chapter 13, p. 290)

The Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations (aka the Red Book), Chapter 13, p. 290)

The video that I am sharing with you about the work capacity test is from the National Interagency Fire Center. It is on the long side, over 12 minutes. It goes quickly. You will learn about the different types of Work Capacity Tests (shown in the image above), how fire fighters train for the work capacity test, and how the test is administered.

Direct link to video from National Interagency Fire Center uploaded by Ken Virden