Firefighter beep test requirements by service

A beep-test number looks easy to compare, which is why outdated tables can be so misleading. A useful comparison needs the actual service, the current benchmark and the instructions attached to it. It also needs to tell you when a number is not established, rather than filling the gap with a neighbouring service’s score.

All service requirements below follow current published career guidance. The training interpretation is FirePrep advice. Confirm volunteer, retained/on-call or auxiliary requirements separately.

The comparison

For FRNSW, a beep-test cutoff is not confirmed here. Its physical format is: Three-stage PAT wearing PPE/ankle weights; walking only; rests continue the clock. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. Do not attach an old shuttle-run number to the FRNSW PAT.

For FENZ, use the PPT rather than inventing a shuttle benchmark: The PPT includes job-related tasks, a separate strength/endurance assessment, and heights/confined-space assessments. Passing the timed circuit alone does not satisfy the complete PPT. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-07); confirm the current candidate information pack.

For CFA volunteering, confirm physical requirements for the relevant role directly; the FRV row is not a CFA standard.

What a level does—and does not—tell you

A shuttle result is useful for tracking a repeatable assessment, but the figure alone does not describe the whole recruitment process. Do not convert level-and-shuttle notation into a percentage of a level or assume a treadmill result is equivalent.

FirePrep recommends using the prescribed audio, course setup and instructions when preparing for a shuttle assessment. Practise controlled turns and matching the pace rather than sprinting early. Build tolerance gradually; repeatedly testing to exhaustion is not the same as following a training plan.

Where your service uses a pass/fail standard, extra performance should not be described as automatic merit. A preparation margin is a buffer against ordinary variation, not an invented selection score.

Warning rules are part of the protocol

ARFF’s shuttle instructions are: Foot touches/crosses 20m line; await beep. Two consecutive missed arrivals terminate; continued early departures after warning also terminate. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. MFS uses its own rules: Touch/cross each 20m line; do not leave before beep. Four yellow cards terminate PAT1. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack.

Those differences matter in practice. Train to follow the line and departure instructions, not just to last until a familiar audio announcement. A fitness session completed with a different warning policy is useful training, but it is not evidence that you passed the official assessment.

A second attempt is not a universal entitlement

For FRV: FRV permits a second shuttle-run attempt and a second PAT attempt. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. For MFS: PAT1 and PAT2 each allow one attempt only. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. For DFES: One attempt per physical assessment. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack.

For QFD: Pack permits a second beep attempt within campaign if first result reaches 8.0; webpage blanket reattempt wording conflicts. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. Confirm the applicable campaign arrangements with recruitment before building a plan around another attempt. The PAT setback guide explains how to turn feedback into a rebuild without assuming a retest is available.

Keep preparing beyond the shuttle

ARFF’s assessment order is: Order: beep, mid-thigh pull, isometric push-up, countermovement jump. Each must pass; failure ends PAT. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. Ordinary gym strength scores do not certify readiness for its force-plate assessments.

TFS’s physical sequence is: Consecutive tasks: rescue tool, confined space, agility, tower/container, hose drag, firefighter rescue; doctor clearance required. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. For FENZ: ppt job circuit seconds: ≤ 495 seconds — Complete the eight job-related PPT tasks in 495 seconds or less. A seven-minute rest follows before the strength/endurance component. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-07); confirm the current candidate information pack. Strength total at least ten; no zero; at most one marginal score. Grip/deadlift use measured body-mass category. source review overdue (review due 2026-10-08); confirm the current candidate information pack. A running-focused programme alone cannot demonstrate completion of either full assessment.

Choose strength, aerobic and movement practice that supports the demands of your service. Do not assume the shuttle immediately precedes every other task; use the actual sequence and recovery instructions.

How to use this comparison

First, identify your target career service. Next, read its full protocol and attempt policy. Then record a baseline under safe, appropriate conditions and choose a training plan that addresses your actual gap.

The fitness guide and FirePrep’s longer training plan help turn that information into preparation. Their schedules are recommendations, not service guarantees about how quickly you can become ready.

Use the readiness check to organise your next actions, not as official certification. A shuttle score is one piece of evidence; eligibility, application quality, the rest of the physical assessment and later checks still need their own attention.