Suspension of the Bleep Test

[Farmerdan]

There is some merit to that argument. There have been studies that show most people are willing to do a certain amount over a speed limit. Therefore if you want people to go no faster than 30 you should really consider a 20 limit. It doesn’t stop the idiots who will drive at 60 down a residential street but it does reduce the numbers of people going above your target speed.

[AlexCorbin]

There is nothing wrong with cadets doing physical fitness assessments, especially when cadet Bloggs wants to join the armed forces it’s good practice.

What this does do, and rightly so, is stop staff thinking they can supervise the activity thinking they know best because they are CFAV and it’s only a bleep test.

When you go for selection all fitness assessments are carried out under the close supervision of a fully qualified PT/David Lloyd Gym Instructor all who are trained to spot the signs and symptoms of a their candidate entering a spot of bother

[Giminion]

reduce the numbers of people going above your target speed.

I’ll need to have a dig around, but I think another study showed there was reduced focus and care (possibly on the part of pedestrians?) in 20 zones compared to 30s, because of an increased sense of safety.

existing measures were not properly implemented, yet the results is new measures

Main one that springs to mind is FT, where it was correctly found that ACP 16 was woeful. The measures not properly implemented in that case (aside from basic sense, logic, and professional standards) were the widely accepted but unwritten “best practices” - which were essentially most of what was then released as the original ACFTIs. I read them thinking, “yep, do that, do that too, do extra to that…”.

[themajor]

Our wing received the following comms from our WEXO in Jan

The bullet below appeared under Comdt RAF College’s input to last week’s AOC’s report. I flagged this to CESO HQAC, who has been directed by COS to follow up. As a precaution, until further information is forthcoming, pre-selection fitness testing for JL courses has been suspended.

• All Pre-Selection Fitness Testing Stopped by Air Health as of 9 Jan following a Coroner’s report into the deaths of 2 Army candidates. PRTC (HAL) and IOT Famil days affected - 6 FTS and A&DC currently not conducting testing. Awaiting direction/resolution from ongoing tri-service mtgs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-50955190

However, the Multi-Stage Fitness Test – ‘bleep test’ – and equivalent tests of cardiovascular capacity are widely available and may be in use in your wgs/sqns, especially by those older cadets who may be preparing to apply for entry into the Armed Services. Given that cadets and CFAV are not medically screened before being allowed to join RAFAC, we must ensure that we are aligned with Air Health policy and therefore, with immediate effect, no fitness testing – whether for selection purposes or otherwise – is to be conducted by cadets or CFAV.

Further direction will undoubtedly follow; however, the Service Enquiry may take some time to complete and therefore we may have a while to wait for the findings to be released and the impact to be assessed.

Questions were raised in particular for DofE, additional clarity provided by RC

To be absolutely clear, all fitness testing for selection purposes is to be stopped for the time being in line with direction/intent of Air Health staff. This includes selection and preparation for selection for JL and ACLC.

I remain uncomfortable with unqualified staff running fitness training/testing for cadets – we don’t allow this situation for shooting, aviation or AT, for example. However, if this is an core RAFAC activity and part of the DofE syllabus, I can accept properly risk assessed fitness testing as a means to monitor cadets’ progress. This line does not provide your sqns with a ‘catch-all’ justification to resume fitness testing across the board and I will certainly be taking a much closer interest in how fitness-related activity is conducted in the Region.

I’d suggest contacting your WEXO / OC Wg as you’ve heard a rumour etc. to get confirmation of the position of your DDH

[redowling]

Yep, not seen anything like that in W&W (to my knowledge at least).

[MRAR]

not seen anything like that in W&W

Not seen anything like that in sunny South Wales.

[Teflon]

There are many unanswered questions such as whether this means an end to competitive sports where a cadet(s) could consider they are being tested because the aim is to win, or if cross country or swimming could go ahead for similar reasons. DoE fitness would seem to be an obvious casualty here

The problem is more with cadets who are not in the slightest bit interested in say Athletics, X Country or Swimming but over zealous staff and cadet NCOs ‘cajoling’ them into events “to get points for the squadron”, that when they go along they stop or take ages. Or in the case of swimming get into difficulties and lifeguards have to get them out. The cadets who enjoy these events and are capable fine.

DofE “fitness” is not competitive as per the ethos of the DofE, ergo it like all aspects of DofE it is purely about self-improvement. If it’s being done by anyone as a competitive activity or pushing cadets “to improve” they need to reconsider.

[tmmorris]

If we don’t test for fitness before ACLC/JL, we increase the risk to cadets taking part in the activity…

[talon]

Bloody hell, you ATC lot sure like to go over the top.

[NivlacSupreme]

I think we just dislike exercise.

[Farmerdan]

Indeed. This isn’t the RMC

[GrandMaster_Flush]

We mirror our parent service. The peak profession in which sit down for a living.

We don’t do running, we’ve got jet engines.

[Giminion]

The army TAB
The marines YOMP
The air force call MT

[talon]

I didn’t just mean on this occasion!

[Typhoon]

Is this not suitable evidence that sometimes comms should be pushed from HQAC direct to Sqn OC’s to ensure all (so much as is possible) are on message rather than rely on CoC cascade which seems to be variable at best?

[daws1159]

The issue is that it’s not HQAC who are the DDH it’s Region.

Great example would be when the No8 was coming to the end of its service life, some Regions made units hand them back and immediately cease using the day they went out of date despite a lack of replacement at the time. Others said “ah it’s a massively over engineered .22 keep using it for now”, I. The info has come straight from Corps the ability of RC’s to make sensible decisions would have been taken away.

[pEp]

Which would work, but I know I’m in the same region as some on here who have received this message whereas I haven’t…

[tmmorris]

To be fair it’s a question of whether the DDH is prepared to take the risk and that has to be an individual decision.

[juliet_mike]

Anyone know of any updates on this? Was it every rescinded?

[Paracetamol]

… didnt even know it was…