Introduction

Welcome to the Fit for Role program. This candidate guide will provide all the information you, the candidate, 
need to know as you work through physical assessments that are relevant to the roles you seek to undertake 
within your agency.

As you head into this program, you may be concerned about your physical ability to complete the set tasks, 
and you may feel that this program could exclude you from doing certain things that help your community. 
Understand that this program is not about excluding members – it’s all about ensuring that members can 
undertake tasks safely, both for themselves and their community.

Throughout the candidate guide, we’ll look at the exact physical tasks you’ll be asked to complete based on 
your roles within SES. By understanding what is required, you can work toward these standards to ensure that 
you know your ability on the day of your assessment.

Finally, keep in mind that if a member does not successfully meet the required standard, there is absolutely 
nothing stopping them from trying again in the future. 

Background

The Fit for Role project was first initiated in 2014 by the Australian Council of State Emergency Services 
(ACSES), with an initial program of research being undertaken by Deakin University looking into the
physiological effects of operational activities on emergency service workers. In 2018, the scope of the 
research project was extended to develop a series of physical fitness assessments to support operational 
activities undertaken by SES nationally. 

This research established a series of validated, defensible, and practical physical fitness standards for the 
tasks commonly performed by SES members around the country. This program objectively assesses 
members’ ability to undertake defined roles, whilst assuring the safety of the individuals undertaking these 
tasks. It also supports members in making a self-assessment of their ability to undertake training, along with 
performing roles within SES, including returning to duty following an injury.

This approach has the support of ACSES, the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre 
(BNHCRC), the National State Emergency Service Volunteers Association (NSESVA) and all state and 
territory-based SES agencies who are united in their vision of protecting the safety and wellbeing of SES 
members and the community across Australia.
 

Purpose

The purpose of this candidate guide is to ensure that everyone knows and understands the skill sets and 
associated physical assessment standards, prior to attempting them under assessment conditions. It has 
been written in plain and clear language to reduce ambiguity on the standards required. The aim is to have a 
well-defined set of national standards that are transparent to all. 

You can use this candidate guide to conduct a self-assessment against these standards to check if you are 
ready to undertake assessment. For example, you may like to work within a crew or group of friends to set up 
and practice the tasks required, as long as you do so safely and in a socially responsible way, i.e. don’t drag a 
tyre behind you on a walk around the block, nor try to rescue a dummy in a public pool.