Company standards vs. criterion task testing (CTT)
Reference is made to “Company Standards: An Alternative to Physical Performance Testing” by John Lecuyer (February 1999).
I believe the author, like many in the fire service, is trying to improve the health/fitness of the firefighters nationwide in the fairest, most effective way. In the area of fitness testing, I would like to speak in favor of individual CTT, not the company standard testing advocated in the article, for the following reasons:
The author`s reasoning is that we work as a company and would never work alone on the fire scene. Therefore, his conclusion that we should test and evaluate as a team (company) is a valid point. However, the point could also be made that we respond as a company and with maps and therefore should be allowed to take district tests in a group while looking at a map. Another example would be on EMS testing. Should a certification test be given to a group instead of an individual because there is a set number of personnel for a minimum response to medical emergencies?
It is a fact that we work together as a company but we have heart attacks, back injuries, strains, and sprains individually. For this reason, we need to have testing for individual members to determine their personal level of fitness. With this information, these members can be assisted with individual workout programs and/or medical care that in time will improve their health and fitness levels.
The article states that it is a valid procedure for individuals to be singled out of the company standard test if it is determined that their individual performance was below standard. I feel that this practice would be very subjective.
On a CTT, the member knows exactly what tasks and allotted times will be considered the minimum. The subject matter expert in company standard testing must determine the acceptable minimum level of participation. Because there is no predetermined measurable minimum mark, this will lead to in-evitable disagreements between members graded as needing additional work and the subject matter experts who must make this judgment.
It is the nature of firefighters to “never say die.” That trait, though admirable, has contributed to the high numbers of heart attacks and injuries suffered by individual firefighters every year. In a team, the member with a lower level of fitness will work past this pain and exhaustion so that his team members are not let down. A collective good performance from a company could cause members who need assistance in improving their fitness levels to be overlooked and not be considered for help at all.
Keep in mind that for a total wellness package, we need company training for skills enhancement; medical physicals for health screening; and, last but not least, individual fitness assessment to determine what help (if any) is needed to improve or maintain necessary fitness levels for our individual brothers and sisters.
T. J. Key
Lieutenant
Fitness Coordinator
Irving (TX) Fire Department
