FTP: The Firehouse Field Test for Endurance and Power

By Eric Haskins, CSCS, TSAC-F
Head Coach, Firehouse Strength & Conditioning

Introduction

On the fireground, you don’t get to choose when fatigue hits. You’re expected to push hard, stay sharp, and keep moving under high heat, heavy loads, and amidst the chaos. Strength matters, but without endurance, it breaks down fast.

That’s why firefighters need more than VO₂max scores or barbell numbers. We need a field-ready measure of sustained work capacity — a number that shows how long you can keep going before the wheels fall off.

Enter Functional Threshold Power (FTP): a simple, repeatable test that tells you what you can actually sustain under pressure. For firefighters, it’s a tactical metric. Raise your FTP, and you raise your fireground endurance, your time on air, and your ability to operate when others gas out.

What is FTP?

FTP is the line between sustainable work and redline failure. It’s the maximum power you can hold for roughly an hour without cracking (Moseley & Jeukendrup, 2001).

VO₂max is your peak capacity. FTP is your maximum sustainable pace — the level you can actually hold when the work won’t let up.

For us, FTP is the difference between seizing the initiative and giving it away.

Testing FTP in the Firehouse

The full 60-minute FTP test is brutal, but the 20-minute protocol gives you 95% of the accuracy with a fraction of the suffering (Borszcz et al., 2018). It’s straightforward, repeatable, and can be done in almost every firehouse gym.

20-Minute FTP Test Protocol

• Warm-Up: 10–15 minutes. Ramp intensity gradually, include 2–3 short efforts.

• Test: Go as hard as you can sustain for 20 minutes. Pacing is key.

• Cool-Down: 5–10 minutes easy effort.

• Calculation: FTP = 95% of your average power from the test.

Example:
20-minute average power = 250 W
FTP = 250 × 0.95 = 238 W

Firehouse Modalities

Anything that can measure average watts will work.

• Concept2 RowErg

• Concept2 BikeErg or Assault Bike

• Concept2 SkiErg

• AssaultRunner / Treadmill

No excuses. No labs. Just raw output.

Why FTP Matters for Firefighters

Firefighters don’t just need power — we need power we can sustain. FTP translates directly into:

• Longer air time → more efficiency on SCBA.

• Stronger endurance under load → dragging hose, climbing stairs, forcing entry.

• Greater fatigue resistance → you stay operational while others are spent.

• Clearer decision-making under stress → physical fatigue doesn’t take your brain offline.

A higher FTP doesn’t just make you fitter. It makes you more effective and an even bigger asset on the fireground.

Training Zones Based on FTP

FTP unlocks precision training. Instead of guessing effort, you work to zones that mimic fireground demands.

Zone	% of FTP	Purpose	Fireground Application
Zone 1: Recovery	<55%	Active recovery, circulation	Rehab between calls
Zone 2: Endurance	56–75%	Aerobic base, fat metabolism	Long-duration incidents
Zone 3: Tempo	76–90%	Muscular endurance	Hose stretch, stair climbs
Zone 4: Threshold	91–105%	Lactate clearance, stamina	Aggressive interior ops
Zone 5: VO₂max	106–120%	Max aerobic power	Short, intense search bursts
Zone 6: Anaerobic	120%+	Sprint & explosive capacity	Forcible entry, victim drags

Adapted from Coggan & Allen (2010).

Firehouse FTP Training Prescriptions

Zone 2 – Endurance Base

• Workout: 40–60 min steady on BikeErg or Rower @ 65% FTP

• Purpose: Build aerobic base for long-duration ops

Zone 4 – Threshold Intervals

• Workout: 4 × 8 min @ 100–105% FTP, 2 min rest

• Purpose: Improve stamina under fireground intensity

Zone 5 – VO₂max Intervals (Norwegian 4×4)

• Workout: 4 × 4 min @ 105–115% FTP (≈90–95% HRmax), 3 min recovery between efforts

• Purpose: Maximize VO₂max by sustaining high intensity for longer bouts; proven in endurance research as one of the most effective protocols. Builds capacity to push hard, recover, and repeat on the fireground.

Zone Blending

Rotate conditioning sessions weekly (e.g., Zone 2 one day, Threshold another, VO₂max later) for balanced Energy Systems Development.

Pair with strength training (maximal strength, explosive power) to sharpen capacity and deliver elite fireground performance.

Limitations of FTP

• Not a physiological threshold: FTP is close to, but not the same as, maximal lactate steady state (Meyer et al., 2020).

• Individual variability: The 20-minute × 0.95 formula may over- or underestimate true FTP for some athletes (Borszcz et al., 2018).

• Single data point: FTP doesn’t measure recovery, anaerobic bursts, or technical skill — all critical for firefighters.

• Training blind spots: Over-reliance on “Sweet Spot” (~84–97% FTP) can stall progress; polarized training is often more effective (Seiler, 2010).

Tactical Application for Firefighters

Even with limitations, FTP offers enormous upside for the fire service:

• Simple, scalable, repeatable → no labs, no fancy equipment beyond what’s in most firehouses.

• Actionable zones → lets you train like an athlete with precision.

• Progress tracking → tangible metric to show improvement over months.

• Direct fireground relevance → higher FTP = better endurance, better air management, longer effective work time.

Raise your FTP, and you raise your operational threshold on the fireground. That makes you the firefighter the IC calls on when it’s time to handle the hardest jobs.

Conclusion

Firefighting isn’t just about one-rep max strength or one-minute sprints. It’s also about sustained power output under pressure — the ability to keep going until the job is done.

That’s why FTP is such a valuable tool. It gives firefighters a practical, gym-ready test that connects directly to job performance. Paired with VO₂max, strength training, and fireground drills, it becomes part of a balanced readiness profile.

Your mission:

• Test your FTP.

• Train your zones.

• Retest and track progress.

Capacity > Demand.

Your 20-minute effort is only the first step.

The real edge comes when you know your numbers and train with purpose.

The Firehouse S&C FTP Calculator gives you firefighter-specific Power, HR, and W/kg zones so you can train hard, train precise, and raise your capacity above the job’s demands.

References

• Borszcz, F., Tramontin, A. F., Carminatti, L. J., Costa, V. P., & Dantas, J. L. (2018). Functional threshold power in cyclists: Validity of the 20-min test. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 32(2), 494–500.

• Coggan, A. R., & Allen, H. (2010). Training and racing with a power meter. VeloPress.

• Denham, J., et al. (2016). Association between functional threshold power and endurance performance. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 116(11), 2231–2239.

• Leo, P., et al. (2019). Validity of FTP and VO₂max for predicting cycling performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 14(8), 1030–1037.

• Meyer, T., et al. (2020). MLSS and the relationship to FTP. Frontiers in Physiology, 11, 398.

• Seiler, S. (2010). What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 5(3), 276–291.