To address the need for EMS practitioners to understand and maintain the physical fitness levels required to perform their jobs, NAEMT collaborated with the American Council on Exercise (ACE) to develop suggested physical fitness guidelines for EMS practitioners that:
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Take into consideration the variety of EMS delivery models and environments within which EMS operates;
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Are based on the physical fitness requirements EMTs and Paramedics need to perform on the job;
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Assist EMS agencies in recruitment and retention of EMS practitioners who are able to safely perform these tasks; and
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Reduce the number and severity of injuries on the job.
To develop the guidelines, five sites that reflect a diversity of service delivery models and environments, populations served and geographic locations, were selected from across the country:
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Upper Pine River Fire Protection District, Bayfield, Colorado
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Memphis Division of Fire Services, Memphis, Tennessee
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Charleston County EMS, Charleston, South Carolina
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Austin-Travis County EMS, Austin, Texas
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North East Mobile Health Service, Scarborough, Maine
A team of specialists from ACE traveled to these sites to observe EMTs and Paramedics on the job. The team completed a practitioner task analysis in late 2012. The final report, Recommended EMS Fitness Guidelines, was published in early 2013.