Public Safety Heroes (PUSH) Workout: Task-Specific High-Intensity Functional Training for Emergency Readiness in Fire and Police—Proof of Concept

Objectives: Public safety personnel, such as police and firefighters, face high physical demands during emergencies, including compressions-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) under fatigue. This study aimed to evaluate a High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT) program, the Public Safety Heroes Workout (PUSH), designed to enhance emergency readiness. Methods: Fifteen active-duty public safety officers participated in a pilot study. The PUSH workout included tasks like sandbag carries and burpee box jumps, interspersed with chest compressions (CC). Physiological responses, including lactate levels, heart rate, and Compressions-only CPR quality, were measured. Results: The PUSH workout induced significant metabolic stress, with lactate levels rising from 2.2 to 14.8 mmol·L−1. Heart rates peaked at 170 bpm, indicating high cardiovascular demand. Compressions-only CPR quality remained high, with firefighters outperforming police in compression rate. Conclusions: The PUSH workout effectively simulates the physical demands of emergency situations, enhancing readiness and compressions-only CPR performance under fatigue. This training model could be applied to other first responders and CrossFit® athletes.