Firefighter (CPAT / NFPA 1580)
NFPA 1580 (2025) — Standard for Emergency Responder Occupational Health and Wellness · CPAT · Verified 2026-08-19
How the screen works
There is no federal body-fat or WHtR standard for firefighters. The 2025 edition of NFPA 1580 consolidated the former NFPA 1581/1582/1583/1584 into one standard (Emergency Responder Occupational Health and Wellness). It replaces the old absolute VO₂max threshold (~42 mL/kg/min from NFPA 1582) with the ACSM percentile-based aerobic classification adjusted for age and sex — firefighter candidates and incumbents test at or above roughly the 35th percentile for their age/sex group (some departments use the 50th percentile). NFPA 1580 also defines 15 essential job tasks (e.g., climbing six+ flights of stairs in PPE, advancing a 150-ft hose line, search & rescue in PPE, patient movement) and requires baseline plus annual fitness testing for all firefighters. The separate 2022 editions of 1581–1584 remain in effect during the transition. Departments vary — confirm your department’s policy.
Physical-readiness test
- Stair Climb (with 25-lb high-rise pack)
- Hose Drag
- Equipment Carry
- Ladder Raise and Extension
- Forcible Entry
- Search (crawling, low visibility)
- Rescue Drag (165-lb mannequin)
- Ceiling Breach and Pull
- Aerobic capacity: ACSM age/sex percentile (replaces the fixed 42 mL/kg/min VO₂max line)
Fill in your own measurements — the worksheet prints with the official thresholds above.
Your worksheet (Firefighter)
| Your metric | Value | Firefighter gate | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waist-to-Height Ratio | 0.486 | n/a | — |
Firefighter has no federal body-fat standard — readiness is assessed by the physical test listed above, not a body-fat line.
Source & verification
- Primary: NFPA 1580 (2025) — Emergency Responder Occupational Health and Wellness; CPAT / Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative
- Retrieved and verified: 2026-08-19. Standards change — confirm with the official regulation or your command.
Reading this Firefighter scorecard
The sheet above is designed to be printed and carried, so it holds only what you need at the assessment: the screen, the thresholds, and the table you are measured against. This section adds the context that does not belong on a one-page printout.
This service applies a single body-fat ceiling rather than an age-normed table, so the figure on the sheet is the same for every age group. That makes the printed number easy to work against but also unforgiving of the normal change in body composition with age.
There is no federal ratio screen for this role, so the sheet lists the physical-test events that the agency or department uses instead. Requirements vary by state and employer, so confirm the current battery with the hiring agency before you prepare against this list.
Source and verification: NFPA 1580 (2025) — Emergency Responder Occupational Health and Wellness; CPAT / Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative, retrieved 2026-08-19. Standards change — treat this as a planning aid and confirm the implementation your unit or agency actually applies.