KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Ready, set, go! The physical fitness assessments will start back up during the December Unit Training Assembly.
“Since the new guidance and policies about COVID-19 have come out, we feel that now is the time to restart our fitness assessments because we can do so in a safe manner and minimize the public health risk for our Airmen,” said Lt. Col. Costau Bastien, 403rd Force Support Squadron commander. “Our priority is our Airmen’s safety, but we must also maintain mission readiness.”
And one part of mission readiness is PT testing.
A servicemember can look in the myFITNESS section of myFSS to find out when they are due or reach out to their Unit Fitness Program Manager.
“Right now, members will continue to schedule their fitness test through their unit fitness program manager,” said Senior Master Sgt. Lisa Baldelli, 403rd FSS senior enlisted leader. “We are going to come together as one big team and share the tracks to get the members who are due a test from July through December, with the exception of those who were exempted by the commander.”
The test is made up of three parts; the 1-minute timed push-up test, the 1-minute timed sit-up test, and the aerobic portion; which consists of the 1.5 mile run or the 1-mile walk.
With the large number of members to be tested, Baldelli plans to have the physical training leaders meet at the Triangle track pad to start the push-up and sit-up portions of the test, then split off into groups for the aerobic portion.
“We have three tracks that are approved to be used for the aerobic portion of the test,” said Baldelli. “We will use the Blake track in front of the hospital for the walk test; and for the run tests, we can use the Triangle track and our newly approved down-and-back track by the driving range to the marina entrance.”
Servicemembers need to fill out the fitness screening questionnaire or AF4446a and the fitness assessment scorecard or AF4446 and bring the forms to their UFPM on the day of testing.
“Fitness is important, because it adds to an individuals’ overall resiliency and readiness,” said Bastien. “We want to encourage everyone to continue preparing for their scheduled fitness test, that way they are ready when the time comes.”