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Updated: Oct 13, 2025
Comparative Analysis of Lower Limb Kinematics between the Initial and Terminal Phase of 5km Treadmill Running
Published on: July 17, 2020
The Validity and Reliability of a Treadmill Test for Structural Firefighter Applicants
Michael P Scarlett1, Cameron M Ehnes, Eric M Adams
1Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2H9∗ (Mr Scarlett, Mr Ehnes, Dr Petersen), Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2H5 (Dr Adams), School of Health and Life Sciences, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T5G 2R1 (Dr Dreger).
Objective:
This 2-part study evaluated validity and reliability of a treadmill test for structural firefighters.
Methods:
Wearing fire protective ensemble, 260 participants walked at 1.56 m·s-1, completing a 5-min warm-up, an 8-min stage at a 5.71° incline, then graded stages to exhaustion. In Part 2, 21 participants completed the test on 3 separate days under standardized conditions.
Results:
Average (±SD) oxygen uptake () during minutes 1-13 was similar to reported values for simulated fire-rescue work. During the 13th min, was consistent with recommendations for firefighters. in Part 2, exercise duration increased between trials 1 and 2 before stabilizing but was consistent.
Conclusions:
Congruence with reported during simulated firefighting and recommendations for confirmed validity. Acceptable test-retest reliability was demonstrated. We conclude that the test is valid and reliable for evaluating cardiorespiratory endurance for firefighting.
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