Rethinking 'Firefighter Fitness'
About START UP
Founded by serving UK firefighter and coach Jack Burman, START UP Firefighter Performance supports both serving and aspiring firefighters with evidence-informed education and practical coaching across fitness, health, and job-specific performance.
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Our work is built around one core aim: keeping firefighters operationally capable today while protecting their long-term health. That means improving performance while also reducing avoidable injury risk and addressing the health challenges that can build over a career in the fire service.
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What makes START UP Firefighter Performance different is that we look beyond simply “passing an annual fitness test” and just being fit as a firefighter. Rather than treating fitness standards as the end goal and a tick in the box, we focus on the underlying risk factors that quietly limit performance and shorten careers/lives that many are unaware of until its unfortunately too late.
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Our approach is built around the realities of the role: common musculoskeletal injury sites, the physical demands of operational work, and the lifestyle and health risks that can accumulate over time. The outcome is straightforward—stronger, more resilient firefighters who can perform reliably now and for years to come, with fitness test passes becoming a by-product of doing the right work consistently, not the main thing to worry about.
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We don't just help firefighters with their fitness. We protect them.
Everything about our approach is driven by:
Supporting the
serving firefighter
Whether you’re On-Call or Whole-Time, we’re here to support your long term career. Starting with comprehensive fitness testing that pinpoints the right exercise prescription, we identify risk factors, set clear objectives, and build a programme that enhances your performance on the fireground while reducing your risk of injury and long-term health issues. Just as importantly, we equip you with the knowledge and tools to optimise your training, health, and performance, so you can keep performing with confidence.
Supporting the
aspiring firefighter
If you’re applying to become a firefighter, we’ll help you pass your physicals and prepare you for the role. We’ll train you specifically for the tests you need to pass and develop a foundation that optimises performance and protects your body at training school and on the job.
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Backed by the latest
research
Everything we do at START UP is driven by sports science, tactical athlete development, and firefighter physiology. We stay up to date with the research and translate it into practical coaching, education, and awareness, making our programmes one of the most impactful and specific firefighter coaching services available on the market. Our Research Centre is where we share studies, blogs, and research, but the real education happens through our coaching and the talks we deliver to fire services, universities, and colleges.
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Coach Jack Burman
Jack Burman is the founder of START UP Firefighter Performance. As a serving firefighter and performance coach, he brings a wealth of practical experience and specialist knowledge in tactical athlete development and firefighter performance.
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Before joining the fire service, Jack worked in the ambulance service and was coached by a Royal Marine Commando—an experience that sparked a lasting passion for training and coaching. After completing his gym instructing and personal training qualifications, he coached general population clients before progressing into Performance Enhancement.
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During firefighter training, Jack sustained a minor injury that highlighted a key reality: firefighters aren’t “general population”—they’re tactical athletes with unique physical demands. That turning point led him deeper into research, and he is now studying a BSc in Sports Fitness and Coaching alongside the NSCA Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator (TSAC-F) qualification.
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START UP was launched soon after, and to date Jack has coached over 100 serving and aspiring firefighters in the UK, delivered talks at colleges on firefighter health and fitness, and is proud to hold a 100% pass rate for clients he has prepared for firefighter fitness tests.
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START UP Firefighter Performance is not just about being fit. It's about protecting the firefighter and being able to perform when it matters most.