What is the fastest pack test time you have witnessed? The fastest I have seen that was a legitimate walk was 35.38. I keep hearing of people that say they have done or seen it in the high 20's. How do you walk that fast?

I'm kinda new here, WTF is a "pack test"?

I think it's a test course for firemen, but not sure...

It is the physical fitness test you have to complete to receive a "red card" for wildland firefighting. Carry 45# 3 miles in under 45 minutes.

You can't walk 3 miles in under 30min with a 45# ruck. I used to get guys ready for SFAS. A really fit guy who trains, on a gravel road can get slightly under 12min miles, without running. Any faster than that and you've got to break into a slow trot.

Army SF standards used to be every ODA member could maintain a 14min/mile pace with a 45# ruck plus web gear and rifle for 12 miles.

Thanks, that goes along with what I have seen. I try to always be at 40 Min. which is a 13.33 mile and for me that is walking as fast as I possibley can.

SLM,

How many steps per minute is that?

What is ODA?

If I did 12 miles w/a 45# ruck in under 3 hours, I would lay down and take a NAP!

Only problem , when I woke up, I might not be able to move!

Sycamore

When Dad had his first MI he started walking a lot after that.

He and I could walk a 12 minute mile. Thats without gear etc... and if you went ANY faster it would be into a jog.... at least IMHO it would be EASIER to jog at that point.

Glad I don't have to hit those markers to be a volunteer fire fighter. It would be better for my health though and I'm running the insanity tapes now to get into better health, at 47 you just can't rely on normal everyday stuff to keep you in fire fighting shape it seems...

do they have a different test for girls?

The female wildland fighters I have spoken with on our wildland fires where we went to mutual aid have told me its all the same.

And talking with them and working with them, I don't doubt that they are as good as any one else on their teams.

That combined with the fact that my slightly over 100 pound wife carries a 60 ish pound pack on elk hunts, too many folks assume women cannot get the job done and thats simply not the fact. Like anything else, it depends on your training and desire.

Where I've seen the most failures on the fire fields has been with the bigger males.... out of shape and just can't hang. Thats where I never want to get...

During smokejumper training in the 1960's, we had to carry our packs (110#) 3.5 miles back to camp in 90 minutes, and this included fording a stream and packing through underbrush. I came in 3rd from last, out of 21.

No. Same test.

From the McCall (ID) Smokejumper web site, it says:

"Remember, these are just the minimums. Much more will be required during the following five weeks. For instance, one of the most demanding physical requirements of the job is the gear pack-out. Smokejumper gear and tools weigh up to 115 pounds per person. Smokejumpers must be able to carry this gear to the nearest trail, road, or helispot after suppressing the fire. This may be a distance of 10 miles or more in rough terrain. During training, smokejumper candidates are required to demonstrate their ability to pack 110 pounds of gear a distance of three miles in 90 minutes or less, over a level course."

see: http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/people/smokejumpers/mccall/physical.html

I bought a quad a couple of years ago 'cause I didn't like the thought of carring a full pack anywhere.

When I was young and the car broke down, I made it from my house to the stable, about 7 miles uphill, in an hour and a half. Now I'm lucky to make it to the bathroom and back while the commercials are playing.

I have no idea.

How many steps per minute is that, John .....

We are also a volunteer department. Our department requires anyone on a wildland fire to be red carded.

I guess every department can have differing quals required.

I"d say that you have a worse chance of being in a big "forest fire" than we do, we almost always have a way out pretty quick here.

I"m WAY impressed with the wildland fighters from the Forest Service.

Even though I TRY to stay/get in shape all the time for the worst case scenario plus it helps conserve air on SCBA tanks in structure fires, I know that MAYBE 10% of our department could meet that marker.

I"m not actually sure I could, but then again I have not put on any kind of backpack for training now in a couple of years so no real clue.

Curiously, what do you do for exercise to stay up? Our manuals suggest 1 hour a day of cardio/weights. And of course I don't know of any of our guys that burn an hour, though I"m typically at 30-60 or so minutes almost every day at a minimum.

We use the red card as an indicator to physical fitness as much as safety and tactics. Per NWCG, twice as many wild-land firefighters have died from heart/medical conditions than burn-overs.

You are right, every department has different standards on level of training. What is your departments requirements before a FF is able to make entry on a structure fire? Ours is you must be at least FF 1.

For exercise I try to do the "pack test" every Saturday morning and use the weights and elliptical machine at our station 3 times a week.