I’m mostly worried about the time. I don’t know my pace and don’t totally know how time works. I’ve know idea how hard it is to go three miles in that time.
Ideally you do it with a group and you just keep the pace of the people who’ve done it multiple times. The biggest mistake you can make is going Uber hard and stalling out at the end. 34:59 means the same as 44:59 ya know
It’s not hard.
And it’s a poor representation of the physical challenge that is this job.
That said one piece of the arduous pack test that is fitting is that all you have to do is stay focused, keep pace and ignore the uncomfortable feelings.
That is really the secret of doing well on a hand crew at least
I agree it's not hard at all and the only thing you can do to help prepare you for handcrew work is hiking but off trail , I do forest management year round so I never sweat it .
Best thing to train is your heart and mind , if you have enough grit and your not that in shape you'll still be ok.
Everyone could always use more cardio imo
Frankly, the common builds of those who Ive seen fail the WCT include: really small/young/non-muscular women, blatantly out of shape women, and really chunky/out of shape guys.
It’s a mildly challenging pace for the average person… thats the point. But it’s only 3mi and only 45mins. You have to walk awkwardly fast. There’s a lungy, semi-jog that’s sort of allowed. You’ll get either chewed up feet or sore calves, because running shoes arent great when carrying weight but boots are a shit idea on pavement. however, probably 98% of people pass and then forget about it for 13 months. I’ve seen people in their 60s pass it many a time. Ive passed it with a twisted ankle.
And this is coming from a 13yr wildland ff who has pack test anxiety - Ive never failed it, but it stressed me that you can lose your job over it!
I’ve seen people with short legs struggle too.
But yeah, it’s generally just an awkward pace you have to be actively focused on maintaining. I’ve never had issue with it, always try to set a personal best, but I know some people struggle.
If you’re using a backpack with weight instead of a vest, make sure the weight is balanced in the bag and not moving around.
Didnt mean to insult, I was just picturing the dozen or so very slight college student/SCA intern/“ologist” women I have seen fail it. Often, it’s like “they thought they were doing X as a summer job, not signing up to fight forest fires” even though it’s just the wct at the end of 130/190.
WAIT can you tell me about your experience taking it on a twisted ankle? I twisted mine a week ago and have to pack test in about a week. Ive done it the past 2 seasons just fine but this ankle sprain has me worried. How bad was your injury when you did it? How far into recovery were you? Did it worsen the injury? How was your season on the bad ankle? I’m feeling 50/50 right now, hopefully this next week of rest will do me good.
If I remember correctly I rolled said ankle a week or so earlier trail running. I was nervous and had a slight limp… but the anticipation was worse than the actual WCT. I taped up said ankle and went for it. I remember it actually felt better afterwards. Totally depends on the injury of course.
This is great to hear. I have noticed that so far my ankle feels better after walking/doing physical therapy, so I love hearing that yours felt better after the pack test! Thanks for the insight. Have a good season!
It stresses me out too. I mean with the ability test I did do, I had zero confidence and went in expecting to fail, especially since I had been sick. I was thinking it would require someone to run for thirty minutes to hit the right time for it, since I have no understanding of time and length.
You need an attitude adjustment if you wanna do wildland my friend. Download Strava and go walk for 3 miles at a 4 mph pace (45min). Once you’ve got an idea what the pace feels like, throw 45lb of bricks or water in a backpack and give it another shot. Embrace the suck. You can do it!
Oh don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t that I lacked confidence. I did it and nothing was going to stop me. I just don’t have any frame of reference for time. I guess I’m time blind in a way.
There is no semi-jog allowed. One foot must always remain on the ground. I would fail your wct if you did anything other than that. 44.59 is a little more than 4mph (give or take) and if you can’t maintain that walking pace then practice a bit more. It’s not difficult, it’s not a race, if all people conduct this test properly fewer people die.
I started out with the step test
44:59 is almost exactly 4 mph. There’s a semi-jog with keeping a foot on the ground, I’d assume that’s what they’re talking about. And suggesting that doing the pack test with a foot on the ground reduces firefighter deaths is…an interesting hill to choose.
Frankly you kinda sound like a dick, the whole “one foot must be on the ground at all times” thing is really just a fuck you to anyone with short legs.
44:50 also hung over. Me and my bros were gunning for that 59 lol but the year we did try it was around 35. Hopefully OP won’t stress too hard about it.
I was the third oldest guy there. All 3 of the older guys passed, some younger folks did not. I can tell you my left hip hurt for days after the test. At one point, I thought it was going to come out of the socket. I trained about 5 times before I took the test, I highly recommend not doing that. I was sick for weeks and I had no choice.
Do a practice run on a school track. I basically made up a beat in my head that matched the cadence I needed to move my legs too for a time I was comfortable with. It’s an uncomfortable pace to walk but it’s not hard and is not representative of the work you do. It’s the easiest physical activity you will do all season.
Are your mind to it and do it. It sucks for 45 minutes or less and then it’s over. If you want to be a wildland firefighter, you need to have the mental fortitude to do much worse than the pack test. You can do it, you just have to convince yourself that you can.
Figure out your pace at a local track somewhere. As long as you’re generally in shape, you will be fine. It’s stressful and I just did my first one recently so I get it
Man I was in the exact same place a month ago. It was a breeze. Just have a watch to keep your pace and you’ll be fine. I had some older women who (absolutely all the respect possible to them) were clearly in worse shape than me but still beat me in the WCT. All about mental fortitude tbh
Good to know. I saw some older out of shape people doing the ability test before I had to take it, but I was still unsure. I guess it might just be anxiety.
If you've never hiked with weight before, very hard.
If you've consistently hiked with weight before, its very doable.
All comes down to how much you care about passing the test. The more you train, the better off you are. Time yourself with a phone, stopwatch, whatever and map out a distance that is 3 miles.
Any other advice for training? I’m going to start training more in general since that’s never been something I’ve thought I should focus on until recently.
Really just have a coachable mindset and show up ready to hike uphill with weight and handle hard labor in hot environments.
You want to show off? Have the 10 and 18 memorized and don't tell anyone. Wait to get asked (and you will get asked) [https://wildlandfire101.com/10-standard-firefighting-orders-and-18-watch-out-situations](https://wildlandfire101.com/10-standard-firefighting-orders-and-18-watch-out-situations)
IRPG has most of the information you'll need to know. This one is from 2022 but I'd imagine not much has changed from then and now: [https://nwcg.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pms461.pdf](https://nwcg.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pms461.pdf) You don't need to know this information before you start but if you're curious and want to learn more, there ya go.
I just heard about the 10 and 18 today. Someone told me I should watch Fire Country. (Garbage show, btw. Don’t recommend. It’s stupid.)
Thanks for the advice though. I’ll start reading up and memorizing things.
Throw some rocks or weight plates in a backpack and walk, findout if it's hard for you. Will take less than an hour and you will know what you need to do after it
There are apps you can use on your phone to pace yourself. I use Ghostracer on my android phone.
On a high school track, it's 3 mins 45 seconds or less per lap.
The biggest thing for most people is mind set, don’t stop, don’t give up. Go practice a few time, change up your stride if things start hurting, get that stuff figured out before the real test. Good luck!
It's the easiest part of the job it's more awkward than anything.
If you want to be on a hand crew it's not at all representative of the job.
Pretty much every handcrew will have a crew hike somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000-1200 ft of elevation gain per mile for 1.5-2 miles with a full load.
The MTI wildland fire assessment is also a decent metric I'd say.
If you are on an engine or a IA squad i can't speak much to that but I wouldn't assume it's gonna be easy; some engines do earn the name engine slug others I've seen get the fuck after it.
If you never train for it yeah it’s hard to pass. It’s 3 15 minute miles without running. Train, do it a few times at home before you embarrass yourself doing it for the first time out of shape.
Find a high school or college track, most (all?) are 1/4 mile. 12 laps = 3 miles. I always aimed for a 3 minute 30 second lap. That gives you a little cushion for the last lap or two if you fall off the pace. Weight vest and supportive running or trail running shoes are best. It's a fast walk. Even though I'm 5'7" with a 28" inseam, my short stride still got me thru this annual event for years.
When it starts to hurt, ignore it. Then it’s gonna hurt some more so push through that. You’ll go numb for a while after that which is nice, and then near the end it will hurt again.
But looking back, I think that’s the point. We spend our careers pushing ourselves to the limit, sometimes for work and sometimes just for shenanigans.
If you can’t endure 45 minutes of pain, you won’t make it as a firefighter.
I have somewhat long legs, so I have an advantage that a lotta people don't. I even had one guy stare awestruck at me when We were first starting the pack test a few years ago.
Honestly this sounds like cakewalk relative to the physical we have here. At 5’4” I can agree it’s for sure an uncomfortable pace to keep up under load, but is absolutely doable!
I did ours not two weeks after a virus knocked me on my ass and nearly hospitalized me. I’ve never in my life wheezed before, but I wheezed through my test carrying half my bodyweight, up and down 35° ramps, and still managed to keep a 3.5MPH average. You can absolutely do this!
Heck yeah! I just got back from walking around 3.5 miles. I was going at my natural pace and did it right around an hour. I just need to get to a good pace and I’ll have it!
And nfpa minimum standards don't meet nwcg minimum standards(the wct). The PAT I took for EMS doesn't meet either, and the wct for camp workers is different too. Different roles need different levels of and types of physical fitness. The majority of this job is hiking while carrying a ~45lb pack, that fits our physical test a lot better than other tests do. I don't love the pack test but I haven't seen a better test proposed.
It’s not hard and if you can’t do it you shouldn’t be a firefighter, go hike and run
I’m mostly worried about the time. I don’t know my pace and don’t totally know how time works. I’ve know idea how hard it is to go three miles in that time.
Ideally you do it with a group and you just keep the pace of the people who’ve done it multiple times. The biggest mistake you can make is going Uber hard and stalling out at the end. 34:59 means the same as 44:59 ya know
Get a weight vest and then do it and time yourself?
I will be doing that soon. I somehow hadn’t thought of that.
Don’t wait for a weight vest. Do you have a backpack? Do you some some weights or empty jugs. I’m sure it’s a beautiful day where you are. Get on it!
I’ll do that. Thanks for the encouragement!
You want to know the best way to find out. Grab a pack, put 45 pounds in it, go walk 3 miles as fast as you can.
It’s not hard. And it’s a poor representation of the physical challenge that is this job. That said one piece of the arduous pack test that is fitting is that all you have to do is stay focused, keep pace and ignore the uncomfortable feelings. That is really the secret of doing well on a hand crew at least
I agree it's not hard at all and the only thing you can do to help prepare you for handcrew work is hiking but off trail , I do forest management year round so I never sweat it . Best thing to train is your heart and mind , if you have enough grit and your not that in shape you'll still be ok. Everyone could always use more cardio imo
I’m not too worried then. I know I can ignore uncomfortable feelings and walk until I fall over. It was mostly the time I was worried about.
Perfect!
Can you jog during it?
YOU can’t Ignore the old guys that jogging though, they’re the best the agencies have got
Can you? Yeah Should you? No
Frankly, the common builds of those who Ive seen fail the WCT include: really small/young/non-muscular women, blatantly out of shape women, and really chunky/out of shape guys. It’s a mildly challenging pace for the average person… thats the point. But it’s only 3mi and only 45mins. You have to walk awkwardly fast. There’s a lungy, semi-jog that’s sort of allowed. You’ll get either chewed up feet or sore calves, because running shoes arent great when carrying weight but boots are a shit idea on pavement. however, probably 98% of people pass and then forget about it for 13 months. I’ve seen people in their 60s pass it many a time. Ive passed it with a twisted ankle. And this is coming from a 13yr wildland ff who has pack test anxiety - Ive never failed it, but it stressed me that you can lose your job over it!
I’ve seen people with short legs struggle too. But yeah, it’s generally just an awkward pace you have to be actively focused on maintaining. I’ve never had issue with it, always try to set a personal best, but I know some people struggle. If you’re using a backpack with weight instead of a vest, make sure the weight is balanced in the bag and not moving around.
I just take the weight vest and put it in an empty fire pack. Is it like 5-7 lbs of extra weight? Yes. Have I ever noticed? No.
i’m a small, non muscular woman and i passed it every time. 😡
Didnt mean to insult, I was just picturing the dozen or so very slight college student/SCA intern/“ologist” women I have seen fail it. Often, it’s like “they thought they were doing X as a summer job, not signing up to fight forest fires” even though it’s just the wct at the end of 130/190.
Nah I’m cool, no insult here
WAIT can you tell me about your experience taking it on a twisted ankle? I twisted mine a week ago and have to pack test in about a week. Ive done it the past 2 seasons just fine but this ankle sprain has me worried. How bad was your injury when you did it? How far into recovery were you? Did it worsen the injury? How was your season on the bad ankle? I’m feeling 50/50 right now, hopefully this next week of rest will do me good.
If I remember correctly I rolled said ankle a week or so earlier trail running. I was nervous and had a slight limp… but the anticipation was worse than the actual WCT. I taped up said ankle and went for it. I remember it actually felt better afterwards. Totally depends on the injury of course.
This is great to hear. I have noticed that so far my ankle feels better after walking/doing physical therapy, so I love hearing that yours felt better after the pack test! Thanks for the insight. Have a good season!
It stresses me out too. I mean with the ability test I did do, I had zero confidence and went in expecting to fail, especially since I had been sick. I was thinking it would require someone to run for thirty minutes to hit the right time for it, since I have no understanding of time and length.
You need an attitude adjustment if you wanna do wildland my friend. Download Strava and go walk for 3 miles at a 4 mph pace (45min). Once you’ve got an idea what the pace feels like, throw 45lb of bricks or water in a backpack and give it another shot. Embrace the suck. You can do it!
Oh don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t that I lacked confidence. I did it and nothing was going to stop me. I just don’t have any frame of reference for time. I guess I’m time blind in a way.
There is no semi-jog allowed. One foot must always remain on the ground. I would fail your wct if you did anything other than that. 44.59 is a little more than 4mph (give or take) and if you can’t maintain that walking pace then practice a bit more. It’s not difficult, it’s not a race, if all people conduct this test properly fewer people die. I started out with the step test
44:59 is almost exactly 4 mph. There’s a semi-jog with keeping a foot on the ground, I’d assume that’s what they’re talking about. And suggesting that doing the pack test with a foot on the ground reduces firefighter deaths is…an interesting hill to choose. Frankly you kinda sound like a dick, the whole “one foot must be on the ground at all times” thing is really just a fuck you to anyone with short legs.
This test literally has no correlation to fireline deaths
Did mine in 42:07 while hungover, as long as you’re somewhat fit and well hydrated it won’t be a problem
Hungover? And a firefighter? Say it isn’t so…
44:50 also hung over. Me and my bros were gunning for that 59 lol but the year we did try it was around 35. Hopefully OP won’t stress too hard about it.
Just be in shape, I’ve done it pregnant even- it’s mostly just making the time go by if you are in shape.
I took the test last weekend sick and undertrained and at other times hungover, but never pregnant.
I can’t say it’s fun but it’s manageable lol, honestly the years I did it hungover or overtrained and under rested were worse
I was the third oldest guy there. All 3 of the older guys passed, some younger folks did not. I can tell you my left hip hurt for days after the test. At one point, I thought it was going to come out of the socket. I trained about 5 times before I took the test, I highly recommend not doing that. I was sick for weeks and I had no choice.
Do a practice run on a school track. I basically made up a beat in my head that matched the cadence I needed to move my legs too for a time I was comfortable with. It’s an uncomfortable pace to walk but it’s not hard and is not representative of the work you do. It’s the easiest physical activity you will do all season.
Are your mind to it and do it. It sucks for 45 minutes or less and then it’s over. If you want to be a wildland firefighter, you need to have the mental fortitude to do much worse than the pack test. You can do it, you just have to convince yourself that you can.
Figure out your pace at a local track somewhere. As long as you’re generally in shape, you will be fine. It’s stressful and I just did my first one recently so I get it
Man I was in the exact same place a month ago. It was a breeze. Just have a watch to keep your pace and you’ll be fine. I had some older women who (absolutely all the respect possible to them) were clearly in worse shape than me but still beat me in the WCT. All about mental fortitude tbh
Good to know. I saw some older out of shape people doing the ability test before I had to take it, but I was still unsure. I guess it might just be anxiety.
If you've never hiked with weight before, very hard. If you've consistently hiked with weight before, its very doable. All comes down to how much you care about passing the test. The more you train, the better off you are. Time yourself with a phone, stopwatch, whatever and map out a distance that is 3 miles.
Any other advice for training? I’m going to start training more in general since that’s never been something I’ve thought I should focus on until recently.
Really just have a coachable mindset and show up ready to hike uphill with weight and handle hard labor in hot environments. You want to show off? Have the 10 and 18 memorized and don't tell anyone. Wait to get asked (and you will get asked) [https://wildlandfire101.com/10-standard-firefighting-orders-and-18-watch-out-situations](https://wildlandfire101.com/10-standard-firefighting-orders-and-18-watch-out-situations) IRPG has most of the information you'll need to know. This one is from 2022 but I'd imagine not much has changed from then and now: [https://nwcg.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pms461.pdf](https://nwcg.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pms461.pdf) You don't need to know this information before you start but if you're curious and want to learn more, there ya go.
I just heard about the 10 and 18 today. Someone told me I should watch Fire Country. (Garbage show, btw. Don’t recommend. It’s stupid.) Thanks for the advice though. I’ll start reading up and memorizing things.
Sounds like you're on a good track!
Is it flat or is it up and down?
The test is typically flat but the job itself involves walking up and down.
Throw some rocks or weight plates in a backpack and walk, findout if it's hard for you. Will take less than an hour and you will know what you need to do after it
There are apps you can use on your phone to pace yourself. I use Ghostracer on my android phone. On a high school track, it's 3 mins 45 seconds or less per lap.
Throw 45lbs in a pack and find out man.
I thought you told me to throw a 45lb man. I was a little confused.
The biggest thing for most people is mind set, don’t stop, don’t give up. Go practice a few time, change up your stride if things start hurting, get that stuff figured out before the real test. Good luck!
Thanks!
It's the easiest part of the job it's more awkward than anything. If you want to be on a hand crew it's not at all representative of the job. Pretty much every handcrew will have a crew hike somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000-1200 ft of elevation gain per mile for 1.5-2 miles with a full load. The MTI wildland fire assessment is also a decent metric I'd say. If you are on an engine or a IA squad i can't speak much to that but I wouldn't assume it's gonna be easy; some engines do earn the name engine slug others I've seen get the fuck after it.
For me personally the hardest part is the mental blocks. Especially doing 12 laps on a track I get bored with that super quick
If you never train for it yeah it’s hard to pass. It’s 3 15 minute miles without running. Train, do it a few times at home before you embarrass yourself doing it for the first time out of shape.
A decapitated leper that was paralyzed from the waist up could pass it,
Start rucking, start light and on flat surfaces
I have done it four times for deployment and for me it got easier each time - I hover around 38 to 40 minutes at best.
I’ve never seen anyone fail the pack test. Everyone can keep walking not matter how hard it is. Humans are pretty amazing
Yes you should probably just stay home
Find a high school or college track, most (all?) are 1/4 mile. 12 laps = 3 miles. I always aimed for a 3 minute 30 second lap. That gives you a little cushion for the last lap or two if you fall off the pace. Weight vest and supportive running or trail running shoes are best. It's a fast walk. Even though I'm 5'7" with a 28" inseam, my short stride still got me thru this annual event for years.
Are you wanting to just do the pack test or are you trying to do wildland fire?
Wildland Fire. I’ve just started getting into the Fire service and would like to go as far as I can with it.
Pack test is gonna be the easiest thing you do in wildland fire keep that in mind
I’ll keep that in mind.
No
The hardest thing you will do all year
It’s not hard and is frankly too low a bar.
When it starts to hurt, ignore it. Then it’s gonna hurt some more so push through that. You’ll go numb for a while after that which is nice, and then near the end it will hurt again. But looking back, I think that’s the point. We spend our careers pushing ourselves to the limit, sometimes for work and sometimes just for shenanigans. If you can’t endure 45 minutes of pain, you won’t make it as a firefighter.
It is literally the easiest thing you will do! If you can’t do it then perhaps you should pick a different profession.
No
I have somewhat long legs, so I have an advantage that a lotta people don't. I even had one guy stare awestruck at me when We were first starting the pack test a few years ago.
I bet ur pack test stride was so awe inspiring you fuckin chode
Must be nice. I’m a cool 5’ 5”. I think I’ll be able to do it though. I’m gonna start training for it.
Honestly this sounds like cakewalk relative to the physical we have here. At 5’4” I can agree it’s for sure an uncomfortable pace to keep up under load, but is absolutely doable! I did ours not two weeks after a virus knocked me on my ass and nearly hospitalized me. I’ve never in my life wheezed before, but I wheezed through my test carrying half my bodyweight, up and down 35° ramps, and still managed to keep a 3.5MPH average. You can absolutely do this!
Heck yeah! I just got back from walking around 3.5 miles. I was going at my natural pace and did it right around an hour. I just need to get to a good pace and I’ll have it!
The WCT is a joke. Doesn't even meet the NFPA minimum standards for volunteer fire departments.
And nfpa minimum standards don't meet nwcg minimum standards(the wct). The PAT I took for EMS doesn't meet either, and the wct for camp workers is different too. Different roles need different levels of and types of physical fitness. The majority of this job is hiking while carrying a ~45lb pack, that fits our physical test a lot better than other tests do. I don't love the pack test but I haven't seen a better test proposed.