Militia fitness standards should come from the jobs members must do, such as walking to the farthest post and back with kit or carrying a casualty on a stretcher, and not from round numbers of push-ups or kilometres. A 70 kg casualty on an 8 kg stretcher is 78 kg, which is 19.5 kg per person for four bearers and 39 kg per person for two, so a stretcher team needs at least four people and a changeover plan.
Part of Community Militia Training
Militia physical fitness is the endurance, strength and load-carrying ability that watch, patrol and casualty tasks require, built up gradually and measured against those tasks.
The Parent’s Numbers Are Not Sourced
The parent article opens by saying a person who cannot run 1 km, carry 15 kg for an hour or hold a watch post for 4 hours cannot contribute, then lists standards of running 2 km, carrying 15 kg for 5 km, 20 push-ups, 30 sit-ups, 5 pull-ups or equivalent, a 100 m sprint, and walking 15 km in a day with a full pack, “achievable by most adults within 2-3 months” at three sessions a week. The first sentence and the list disagree (1 km against 2 km), the three weekly sessions do not fit into the weekly 2 to 3 hours of the parent’s schedule, and nothing in this corpus supports the numbers or the 2 to 3 month claim. I have no source for better ones, so treat all of these as examples to adapt.
Derive The Standard From The Task
For each role, write the task and measure it.
- Sentry. Reach the post, stand or sit through a watch, climb to the platform and back down safely.
- Patroller. Walk the route in the planned time with kit (Route Planning). The example route there is 4.4 km in 88 minutes.
- Runner. The planned leg at the planned pace (Runner Systems).
- Stretcher bearer. Carry a casualty over rough ground for the distance to the collection point.
Worked Example: Carrying A Casualty
Example inputs: casualty 60 to 90 kg and stretcher 8 kg, both assumed.
| Casualty | Total load | Four bearers | Two bearers | Six bearers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 68 kg | 17.0 kg each | 34 kg each | 11.3 kg each |
| 70 kg | 78 kg | 19.5 kg each | 39 kg each | 13.0 kg each |
| 90 kg | 98 kg | 24.5 kg each | 49 kg each | 16.3 kg each |
The parent’s “carry 15 kg for 5 km” is of the same order as a four-bearer share for a light casualty, so it is a reasonable proxy, but a stretcher is awkward and uneven, and the load is shared only if the bearers walk in step. Two bearers carry roughly double and cannot go far. A changeover plan matters more than raw strength. Stretcher construction is in Stretcher Building.
Method: A Fitness Program
Step 1: Test each member on the role tasks, not on a generic list.
Step 2: Record the baseline and set a target for each person based on their own baseline.
Step 3: Build the load gradually over weeks. Increase distance or load, not both at once, and allow rest days.
Step 4: Use useful work as training. The parent says to carry supplies, dig and chop wood. That also keeps the militia part of the community.
Step 5: Retest every season and revise.
Step 6: Schedule around sleep. Hard training after a night watch costs recovery (Sleep Cycle Management).
Do Not Exclude Useful People
A fixed pass mark can exclude a signaller who is not strong, a medic with a bad knee or an older person with years of observation skill. The structure has roles for them (Roles and Responsibilities). Set the standard for the role, not the person.
Common Mistakes
- Fixed numbers. They are borrowed, not derived.
- Testing once. Fitness changes through the seasons.
- Overtraining. An injured volunteer does no watches.
- Ignoring water and food. Heavy exertion needs both (Dehydration Treatment).
Safety
Heat, overexertion and loads
Hard exercise in heat can cause heat stroke; a person who is confused, stops sweating or collapses needs cooling at once (Heat Stroke). Do not push a person through chest pain, dizziness or severe shortness of breath. Heavy carries on rough ground cause falls and back injuries; change bearers before they tire.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Basic Field Skills — navigation, concealment and observation
- Combine with: First Aid and Casualty Care — what the bearers do after the carry