School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
Ergonomics. 2010 Oct;53(10):1276-85. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2010.513451.
Fighting wildland fire is a physically demanding occupation. Wildland firefighters need to be physically fit to work safely and productively. To determine whether personnel are fit for duty, many firefighting agencies employ physical competency tests, such as the pack hike test (PHT). The PHT involves a 4.83-km hike over level terrain carrying a 20.4-kg pack within a 45-min period. The PHT was devised to test the job readiness of US wildland firefighters but is also currently used by some fire agencies in Australia and Canada. This review discusses the history and development of the PHT with emphasis on the process of test validation. Research-based training advice for the PHT is given, as well as discussion of the risks associated with completing the PHT. Different versions and modifications to the PHT have emerged in recent years and these are discussed with regard to their validity. Finally, this review addresses the relevance and validity of the PHT for Australian and Canadian wildland firefighters. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: This paper reviews the history, development and validity of the PHT, an internationally recognised and utilised wildland firefighter work capacity test. It is concluded that while the PHT has general content validity for US wildland firefighters, verification of its reliability, criterion and construct validity is still needed.
扑救林火是一项体力要求很高的工作。林火消防员需要身体健康，才能安全有效地工作。为了确定人员是否适合执行任务，许多消防机构采用体能能力测试，如背包徒步测试（PHT）。PHT 包括在 45 分钟内背负 20.4 公斤背包在水平地形上徒步 4.83 公里。PHT 旨在测试美国林火消防员的工作准备情况，但目前也被澳大利亚和加拿大的一些消防机构使用。本综述讨论了 PHT 的历史和发展，重点介绍了测试验证过程。提供了针对 PHT 的基于研究的培训建议，并讨论了完成 PHT 相关的风险。近年来，出现了不同版本和修改的 PHT，本文对其有效性进行了讨论。最后，本文探讨了 PHT 对澳大利亚和加拿大林火消防员的相关性和有效性。
本文回顾了 PHT 的历史、发展和有效性，PHT 是一种国际认可和使用的林火消防员工作能力测试。结论是，虽然 PHT 对美国林火消防员具有普遍的内容有效性，但仍需要验证其可靠性、标准和构念有效性。
