Fat EMTs and firefighters I've seen some horrific things in fire and EMS that have me thinking... While I can only do so much to maintain myself and encourage others to keep to a high level of fitness, you all have the power to influence the agencies that are responsible for the health and safety of your communities.  Whether by addressing the officers in charge of your local fire/EMS agencies or contacting local politicians, we should all be able to push for fitness standards for our emergency response personnel.  There should be no exemptions and no excuses -- just a set of tests to determine who is capable of doing the job properly. I might come back with a letter template another day but I think this is something worth pursuing... Across the US, we've let things go for far too long and the unfit responders have essentially gotten away with murder -- okay, maybe just negligent manslaughter -- by our lack of action. Your taxes support the emergency services and pay the salaries of your local politicians.  It's up to you to hold them accountable.  I wouldn't trust a fatty EMT, Paramedic or firefighter with my safety or the safety of my family... They've already demonstrated a lack of judgment, determination and general understanding of human health.  They cannot be trusted to perform life-saving tasks in an emergency situation. I'm going to look over some case studies before putting together a letter but I think the minimal standards should be tailored to each agency's coverage area...  urban areas with tall buildings should require more stair climbing than rural districts with one or two floor single-family dwellings.  The core strength and stamina to do CPR compressions all the way to a hospital should be tested based on average travel times to these facilities.  Additionally, personnel should be able to carry or drag a person out of a hazardous situation when warranted. It's not enough for fire/EMS candidates to take tests like the CPAT or local variants... This should be an ongoing requirement to determine whether an individual is capable of doing their job. We all share the responsibility of holding our local government and response agencies accountable for the fitness of their personnel.  We've allowed them to be too lax for too long and it's time to do something about it.