The Effectiveness of Occupational Functional Exercises in Improving Professional Physical Fitness for Cadets at the University of Fire Prevention and Fighting
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65150/EP-jsshrs/V2E5/2026-11Keywords:
Occupational functional exercises, general physical fitness, professional physical fitness, extracurricular activities, task-oriented training, specialized physical education.Abstract
This study evaluates the effectiveness of occupational functional exercises in extracurricular activities for improving professional physical fitness among cadets at the University of Fire Prevention and Fighting. Based on the occupational characteristics of the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police force, the study approaches professional physical fitness as a component of occupational task performance capacity associated with activities such as rapid movement, carrying equipment, overcoming obstacles, climbing, and transporting victims under complex conditions. The study employed the following methods: pedagogical experimental method with an experimental group and a control group; combined with document analysis, expert interviews; pedagogical testing and statistical processing. The assessment system consisted of general physical fitness tests and three professional physical fitness tests: carrying a dummy for 60m, carrying a fire extinguisher for 60m, and carrying two fire hoses for 50m. The results showed that the experimental group achieved better performance than the control group in all three professional physical fitness tests after the experiment; all differences were statistically significant at the probability level of p < 0.05. The research results confirm that incorporating occupational functional exercises into extracurricular activities is an appropriate solution for professionalizing physical education, enhancing occupational readiness, and contributing to the improvement of cadet training quality at the University of Fire Prevention and Fighting.
References
1) Chizewski, A., Box, A., Kesler, R., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2021). Fitness fights fires: Exploring the relationship between physical fitness and firefighter ability. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22),11733.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182211733.
2) Chizewski, A., Box, A., Kesler, R. M., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2021). High intensity functional training improves fitness in recruit firefighters. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(24), 13400.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182413400.
3) Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Department. (2025). Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Force reviews its work in 2025. Electronic Information Portal of the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Department, Ministry of Public Security.
4) Durand, G., Tsismenakis, A. J., Jahnke, S. A., Baur, D. M., Christophi, C. A., & Kales, S. N. (2011). Firefighters' physical activity: Relation to fitness and cardiovascular disease risk. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 43(9), 1752-1759.
https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318215cf25.
5) Fyock-Martin, M. B., Erickson, E. K., Hautz, A. H., Sell, K. M., Turnbaugh, B. L., Caswell, S. V., & Martin, J. R. (2020). What do firefighting ability tests tell us about firefighter physical fitness? A systematic review of the current evidence. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 34(7), 2093-2103. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003577.
6) Gumieniak, R. J., Shaw, J., Gledhill, N., & Jamnik, V. K. (2018). Physical employment standard for Canadian wildland fire fighters: Identifying and characterising critical initial attack response tasks. Ergonomics, 61(10), 1299-1310.https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2018.1464211.
7) Kales, S. N., & Smith, D. L. (2017). Firefighting and the heart: Implications for prevention. Circulation, 135(14), 1296-1299.
https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.027018.
8) Michaelides, M. A., Parpa, K. M., Henry, L. J., Thompson, G. B., & Brown, B. S. (2011). Assessment of physical fitness aspects and their relationship to firefighters' job abilities. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 25(4), 956-965.
https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181cc23ea.
9) Michaelides, M. A., Parpa, K. M., Thompson, J., & Brown, B. (2008). Predicting performance on a firefighter's ability test from fitness parameters. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 79(4), 468-475. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2008.10599513.
10) Morris, C. E., & Chander, H. (2018). The impact of firefighter physical fitness on job performance: A review of the factors that influence fire suppression safety and success. Safety, 4(4), 60. https://doi.org/10.3390/safety4040060.
11) Parpa, K., & Michaelides, M. (2024). Age-related differences in physical fitness and performance of an ability test among firefighters. Muscles, 3(1), 88-99. https://doi.org/10.3390/muscles3010009.
12) Ras, J., Smith, D. L., Kengne, A. P., Soteriades, E. S., & Leach, L. (2023). Physical fitness, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health, and occupational performance in firefighters. Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1241250.https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1241250.
13) Ras, J., Soteriades, E. S., Smith, D. L., Kengne, A. P., & Leach, L. (2024). Evaluation of the relationship between occupational-specific task performance and measures of physical fitness, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health in firefighters. BMC Public Health, 24, 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17487-6.
14) Rhea, M. R., Alvar, B. A., & Gray, R. (2004). Physical fitness and job performance of firefighters. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 18(2), 348-352. https://doi.org/10.1519/R-12812.1.
15) Sheaff, A. K., Bennett, A., Hanson, E. D., Kim, Y. S., Hsu, J., Shim, J. K., Edwards, S. T., & Hurley, B. F. (2010). Physiological determinants of the Candidate Physical Ability Test in firefighters. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(11), 3112-3122. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181f0a8d5.
16) Skinner, T. L., Kelly, V. G., Boytar, A. N., Peeters, G. M. E. E., & Rynne, S. B. (2020). Aviation rescue firefighters physical fitness and predictors of task performance. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 23(12), 1228-1233.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2020.05.013.
17) Smith, D. L., DeBlois, J. P., Kales, S. N., & Horn, G. P. (2016). Cardiovascular strain of firefighting and the risk of sudden cardiac events. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 44(3), 90-97. https://doi.org/10.1249/JES.0000000000000081.
18) Soteriades, E. S., Vogazianos, P., Tozzi, F., Antoniades, A., Economidou, E. C., Psalta, L., & Spanoudis, G. (2022). Exercise and occupational stress among firefighters. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 4986.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19094986.
19) Williams-Bell, F. M., Villar, R., Sharratt, M. T., & Hughson, R. L. (2009). Physiological demands of the firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 41(3), 653-662. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e31818ad117.
20) Xu, D., Song, Y., Meng, Y., István, B., & Gu, Y. (2020). Relationship between firefighter physical fitness and special ability performance: Predictive research based on machine learning algorithms. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(20), 7689. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17207689.
21) Zare, S., Hemmatjo, R., Allahyari, T., Hajaghazadeh, M., Hajivandi, A., Aghabeigi, M., & Kazemi, R. (2018). Comparison of the effect of typical firefighting activities, live fire drills and rescue operations at height on firefighters' physiological responses and cognitive function. Ergonomics, 61(10), 1334-1344. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2018.1484524.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nguyen Huy Viet (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
