Common Military Task Fitness Evaluation

Six Common Military Tasks

• Escape to Cover

  General 

  The escape to cover task was designed to simulate a situation involving small arms fire. During this event, a member must move quickly between points of cover to reach the safety of a bunker. 

  Task description 

   With a C7 rubber rifle, the participant runs 10m, stops and takes a knee for 7 seconds then continues to run 50m. The participant moves into a prone position to complete a low crawl (leopard crawl) under 7 hurdles spread out over a 10m mat. Once the participant has physically cleared the last 10m low crawl marker, the participant will get up and run 30m. 

  Minimum standard 

  The task must be completed in 68 seconds or less. 

• Vehicle Extrication

  General 

  This task was designed to simulate the extrication and evacuation of a CAF casualty from the passenger seat of a Ford Ranger Style pickup truck during an international humanitarian operation. 

  Task description 

  The participant will remove the 86kg mannequin off the edge of a 76 cm high bench (simulating the front bench of a ¼ ton pickup truck) by grasping and pulling the mannequin. Once removed from the bench, the participant will drag the mannequin 5 meters. At the 5m mark an evaluator will release the mannequin’s lower extremities (simulating the arrival of a second rescuer to assist in carrying the casualty). The participant will carry the 52kg mannequin 5m back to the bench and secure the torso on the bench (simulating lifting the casualty into the back of a rescue vehicle). 

  Minimum standard 

  There is no time limit for completion of this task; performance is indicated by pass /fail. 

• Picking and Digging

  General

  This task was designed to simulate the construction of a hasty ablution facility during early stages of an international humanitarian mission; it is performed in two parts as picking and digging. 

  Task description 

  Picking 

  The participant straddles the picking simulator and starts moving the weighted beam by swinging the sledgehammer using a picking action. When the beam has moved approximately 1 meter, the participant will make a 180º turn, straddle the picking simulator and continue moving the weighted beam in the opposite direction. After 30 seconds of “work” the participant must stop for a 60 second rest. The work/rest ratio (30 sec / 60 sec) will continue until the participant has moved the weighted beam a total of 4 meters. 

  A 2 minute rest / water break is provided between completion of the picking task and beginning the digging task. 

  
  Digging 

  The participant moves 180 liters of loosened gravel from the full dig box to the empty one. After 60 seconds of work the participant must stop for a 30 second rest. The work/rest ratio (60 sec / 30 sec) will continue until the participant has filled the empty box with the gravel of the full box. 

  
  Minimum standard:

  18 min of Picking, 18 min of Digging. 

• Stretcher Carry

  General 

  The stretcher carry task was designed to simulate a 2-person stretcher carry of a civilian casualty to an evacuation vehicle and a 4-person lift of the stretcher into the back of the vehicle. 

  Task description 

  Participant lifts a deadlift bar (43kg) and carries it a distance of 25m. The participant sets down the bar, pauses for 15 sec, and turns around to face the start/finish line. The participant lifts and carries the deadlift bar back 25m, and lowers the bar to the floor at the start/finish line. Using both hands, the participant lifts the EZ curl bar (21.5kg), up onto the 91.5 cm high platform. 

  Minimum standard

  There is no time limit for completion of this task however the task must be completed without stopping or setting down the deadlift or EZ curl bars outside of the prescribed rest period. 

• Sandbag Fortification

  General 

  This task was designed to simulate the unloading and passing of sandbags from a pallet during a humanitarian (flood) or defense (fortification) scenario. 

  Task description 

  Participants lift a total of sixty 20 kg sandbags from a pallet and places each sandbag on the top of a 91.5 cm high platform. 

  Minimum standard 

  Move sixty 20kg sandbags in 15 min or less. 

• Pickets and Wire Carry

  General

  This task was designed to simulate the responsibility of one member of a multi-member team during the construction of a pickets and wire fence. 

  Task description  

  The participant will make 23 trips carrying objects from a start point out to various points along a 35 m line. Weights of objects and methods of carrying range from 5.4 kg in each hand to 15.5 kg carried unilaterally. The sequence of the task alternates between loaded and unloaded carries; to simulate picking up and dropping off equipment, returning to pick up another load of equipment until all of the equipment has been moved to the worksite. The longest trips cover 70.8 m, with a total task distance of approximately 1.3 km. 

  Minimum standard  

  The task must be completed in 17min30s or less.