Kinesiology Program Faculty Awarded Grant to Validate Firefighter Fitness and Readiness Test Used by Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department
February 13, 2026
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Joel Martin, associate professor in the Kinesiology Program at George Mason University, has received a grant from Prince William County (PWC) in support of a 12-month project to evaluate and validate the Work Performance Exam (WPE) used by the county’s Fire and Rescue Department. The WPE is an occupational test to evaluate the fitness and readiness of an individual to perform the physical functions required in firefighting at the scene of the incident. These functions include donning and securing a complete set of personal protective equipment; carrying, lifting, and extending a ladder; forcibly entering a structure with a sledgehammer; moving and lifting heavy loads from one location to another; and performing other essential occupational tasks in firefighting.
The objective of this project is to determine whether the WPE accurately reflects the physiological demands of real-world firefighting and can predict the laboratory-measured aerobic capacity of firefighters performing the occupational tasks of the WPE within an acceptable margin of error. Martin is leading a project team that will generate evidence-based recommendations to refine the WPE while preserving its operational authenticity. Commenting on this project, Martin stated, “We hope to support firefighter health and ensure that fitness standards are scientifically defensible and aligned with job demands.”
The tasks comprising the WPE are administered in a certain order and must be completed within specific time limits. These requirements were adopted as part of a previous validation based on interviews with firefighters conducted by a third-party research group, and an assessment of their test performance to determine acceptable time limits required for completion of each task in the WPE.
Martin’s project team members will expand on this work and measure not only the time required for firefighters to complete the WPE, but they will evaluate the intensity of the physiological and metabolic requirements involved in performing each task to determine if the test accurately reflects those demands. Martin explains, “The WPE was previously validated based on the time required to complete a series of tasks to determine whether firefighters can carry out standard job functions within an acceptable amount of time. While physical fitness does play a major factor in the time it takes to complete the test, it is not a physical fitness test per se. There is a skill component to performing many of the tasks on the WPE where someone who is physically fit, but lacks skill in the tasks, would not necessarily perform well. Also, while performing the WPE, firefighters are in full turnouts and breathing through a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), a specialized respirator worn in hazardous environments where the air is not breathable. This adds additional challenges.”
Martin adds, “Currently, firefighters are not required to perform an annual fitness test. However, as part of this project we are working with the Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department to design policies and procedures around both the WPE occupational test and new annual fitness testing that would work synergistically to support firefighter health and readiness.”
Approximately 100 medically cleared career firefighters will participate in the project during which they will complete the tasks of the WPE and undergo laboratory-based fitness testing including VO2max (amount of oxygen consumed), strength, and power assessments. During the administration of the WPE, wearable technology will be used to quantify the physiological responses of firefighters such as heart rate and estimated metabolic demand. In addition, while they perform the required elements of the WPE, the VO2max levels of the firefighters will be assessed based on the amount of air they consume wearing their SCBA.
Using statistical techniques, the project team will examine the relationship between the firefighters’ VO2max levels as assessed in a laboratory with the measures collected during performance of the WPE. By comparing the physiological responses on the VO2max test assessed in the lab to the WPE measures, Martin’s team is hoping to achieve a better understanding of the intensity of the WPE. Martin says that the statistical modeling used by his team will consider other components of physical fitness such as strength and body composition in developing an equation that can be used to predict VO2max from the measures.
The project team is also exploring a metric called work efficiency that is computed based on the time needed to complete the WPE and how much air is consumed from the SCBA, with less air indicating greater aerobic capacity. Martin says this will provide further insight as to how capable a firefighter is to perform their occupational duties.
Martin shared his thoughts on the importance of this project. “Understanding the overall levels of physical fitness that support safe and effective performance of firefighter tasks is essential,” he emphasized. “Often the role of physical fitness components (aerobic, strength, body composition, etc.) is studied from the perspective of individual fitness components. We are taking a more holistic approach in terms of considering all components of fitness in our analyses. Understanding the physical fitness requirements of the WPE will provide actionable guidance for physical fitness standards and programs to improve sub-optimal levels of physical fitness. This should improve the readiness of the department and address some of the injury challenges that firefighters experience.”
In his other comments, Martin pointed out that a better understanding of the physiological and metabolic demands of the WPE can lead to certain monetary savings that can be reallocated to better support other critical areas of firefighter health and well-being. He explained, “The Fire and Rescue Department currently pays for all firefighters to perform an annual stress test to estimate aerobic fitness. By being able to estimate from the WPE, there will be cost savings that can be used toward other preventive screening for firefighters, particularly regarding cancer which is now the number one cause of line of duty death for firefighters.”
Martin discussed how this project aligns closely with his research, which focuses on occupational performance, physiological monitoring, and evidence-based fitness standards in high-risk professions. He stated, “My work emphasizes integrating wearable technology, laboratory assessment, and real-world task performance to better understand how physical fitness supports safety and effectiveness in demanding operational environments.”
Martin also reflected on why he chose to partner with the Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department in conducting this project centering on the WPE. He stated, “My motivation stems from a long-standing commitment to improving the health, safety, and performance of tactical populations. Firefighters face extreme physical and physiological stressors, yet fitness assessments are not always grounded in occupational science. This collaboration provides an opportunity to translate research directly into practice and support a department that is proactively investing in firefighter readiness.”
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Funding for this project is supporting the participation of Ramsey Zaytoun, a student of Martin’s who is pursuing a Master of Science in Kinesiology through George Mason’s accelerated bachelor’s/master’s program. Zaytoun will be using the data collected in this project as part of his MS thesis. Commenting on this opportunity, Zaytoun emphasized, “This experience really helped me grow because it gave me hands-on exposure to the entire research process. From pilot testing and coordinating with local stakeholders to actually running equipment like force plates and the BOD POD, I got the chance to deepen my knowledge when it came to planning and executing a large data collection project. I got to see how everything fits together in a real-world setting which really aided me in putting a lot of the dots together that I have been taught throughout my time in the kinesiology program.”
“Working with Prince William County Fire & Rescue also gave me a much deeper appreciation for what firefighters and first responders deal with physically and mentally,” Zaytoun continued. “Honestly, getting to meet and work with the participants was my favorite part. It made the research feel meaningful because we could see how our work was directly supporting their performance and helping build a stronger culture of health and wellness within the department.”
Martin is confident that the participation of a Kinesiology program student in this project will build upon the university’s prior collaborations with PWC Fire and Rescue and facilitate the implementation of an embedded research model in the future to support firefighter health and safety.
Please join the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) in congratulating Joel Martin on being selected for this grant from Prince William County in support of his work on the evaluation and validation of the occupational Work Performance Exam for firefighters. The grant reflects the high caliber of Martin’s research and the many contributions he has made in supporting the occupational health and safety of firefighters and other emergency responders.