The FRNSW PAT isn't a fitness test — here's what they're actually measuring
The PAT broke people who had no business being broken.
I remember a bloke spewing during and after his attempt. What looked like every second candidate was getting the job done — but a lot of people's campaigns ended right there at the PAT.
If you haven't trained specifically for what this test actually demands, it'll be a proper nightmare.
What happens when you arrive
You get into full turnout gear before a single rep is done. Helmet. Breathing apparatus. Ankle weights. You're already carrying significant load in restrictive equipment — and that changes everything. Your breathing, your movement, your heat tolerance. All of it.
First up is the overhead ladder press — one ladder raise, equivalent to a 40kg strict press. No one failed this while I was there. Incorporate strict press into your training and you'll have this locked in.
Next is the visibility test. You're on your hands and knees in a frosted face shield, crawling to a checkpoint and back. You're following the supervisor's instructions — not getting flustered or disoriented. Just listening, turning your body, and moving forward when told to.
The stations that caught me
After that the timed section begins.
The farmer's carry — 27kg jerry cans for around 150 metres — is uncomfortable but manageable if you've trained loaded carries. It wasn't what got me.
It was the tool hold immediately after. Shoulder height, waist height, knee height — 40 seconds at each position. Your grip and forearms are already lit from the carry. That 40 seconds is longer than it sounds when your hands are on fire.
Then the hose drag. Five reps. I was digging by rep three. Four and five were a negotiation with myself. You keep moving — but it costs you.
You can manage your own time through the first section — if you finish a task early, you can rest. Use that. After the five hose drags I had somewhere between 90 seconds and two minutes. Slow your breathing deliberately. You need it for what comes next.
The crawling hose drag — hands and knees, dragging forward — is where I almost came to a complete stop a few times. You just have to keep advancing. Keep moving forward.
The final station: a 40kg body drag, crouched below 1.5 metres for 10 metres. Legs spent. Grip gone. Running on will more than fitness.
That's the point. That's exactly what they're measuring.
What the PAT is actually testing
Every station is engineered to replicate fireground conditions — load carriage, restricted movement, heat stress, and the requirement to keep functioning when your body wants to stop.
The candidates who struggle aren't always the least fit. They're the ones who trained for gym performance instead of operational performance. There's a difference. Strength in isolation doesn't prepare you for accumulated fatigue in restricted gear.
Train for the test. Not just for fitness.
How to train for the FRNSW PAT
The official FRNSW FireFit program recommends at least 12 months of structured training before your PAT — and a full taper week before the test so your body is recovered and sharp on the day.
Here's what that training needs to look like.
Block A — Loaded Carry & Grip Day
Farmer's carry: 2 x 24–28kg kettlebells, 6 x 40m — rest 90 seconds
Suitcase carry (single arm): 4 x 30m each side
Static tool hold: plates at shoulder / waist / knee height — 3 x 40 seconds each, 20 sec rest between positions
Goblet squat: 4 x 10–12 reps, heavy
Step-ups with DB hold: 4 x 10 each leg
Overhead press (single arm DB): 3 x 10 each arm
Block B — Conditioning & Suit Simulation Day
Weighted vest run: 20–30 minutes moderate pace — build vest weight progressively
Stair climber in vest: 15 minutes, slow and deliberate
Sled push/drag in vest: 5 x 30m — 15m walk recovery between efforts
Crawling drag simulation: sled on hands and knees, 4 x 15m
Body drag simulation: 40kg dead drag, crouched, 4 x 10m
Pull-ups: 4 x max reps
Every four weeks, run a full check-in session outdoors in your vest — suitcase carry, loaded step-ups, static KB holds, sled drag. This mirrors the PAT directly and tracks where you're actually at under heat and load.
The non-negotiable: train in a weighted vest. The carries, the sled work, the runs — all of it. Your body needs to know what accumulated load feels like before you're standing in turnout gear in front of assessors.
The mindset
Fitness gets you to the door. The PAT is designed to find the point where your body wants to stop — and see what decision you make.
I made it through. Not because I was the fittest person there. Because I trained for the right things and when it got hard, I kept moving.
That's what they're looking for.
Going through FRNSW recruitment and want a full breakdown of every stage from someone who just lived it? Subscribe to the free Future Firefighter newsletter below.