Case Study_

Key Highlights

• The 312th Training Squadron faced growing demand for mission-ready firefighters and identified an opportunity to strengthen readiness with a standardized fitness program.  
• The academy partnered with LMI to create and implement the Fit to Save program, a tailored, data-driven initiative designed to address the physical, job-specific demands.  
• The program helped reduce fitness-related attrition rates, avoid $3.5M in training costs attributed to non-completion, and improve diagnostic test scores by 25%.

Meeting the demands of emergency response

The Department of War (DoW)’s 312th Training Squadron Firefighting Academy at Goodfellow Air Force Base serves as the primary training pipeline for producing firefighters who protect installations, critical aviation assets, and personnel worldwide. These firefighters deploy to contingency locations and forward operating sites, delivering fire suppression, aircraft rescue, emergency response, and hazardous material services in support of expeditionary and Agile Combat Employment operations. At military installations across the world, they stand ready to respond to in-flight emergencies, structural fires, and other critical incidents, protecting lives and critical assets.  

As demand for qualified, mission-ready firefighters grew alongside expanding DoW operational requirements, the academy also faced growing class sizes and limited training space and coaching capacity. Under its self-directed approach to physical training, readiness varied across cohorts, potentially contributing to higher injury and attrition rates.

To address these challenges, the academy saw an opportunity to implement a structured fitness and conditioning program to align with the physical demands of the profession.

Advancing training with data-driven solutions

The academy partnered with LMI to develop and implement the Fit to Save (FTS) program, a comprehensive, data-driven initiative that improves training methods while reducing attrition, preventing injuries, and preparing graduates for real-world conditions.  

LMI began by initiating a joint planning session with certified coaches from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, employing advanced technology and fitness strategies to shape a data-driven program with the following elements:  

• Physical diagnostic test powered by real-time analytics: A five-minute exhaustion-based evaluation designed to mimic real-life firefighter scenarios, offering targets for improvement and identifying at-risk students early.  
  
  • Diagnostic data is input into a SharePoint-based Power BI dashboard, providing leadership with real-time visibility into physical progress, injury trends, student demographics, and pass/fail prediction rates — enabling timely interventions.
• Standardized, high-intensity fitness programming: FTS incorporates structured, daily workout programs into the curriculum, tailored to real-world physical demands. The fitness routines provide consistency across cohorts while improving the endurance, strength, and resilience required for certification.
  
  • High-risk students identified during diagnostic testing, “Team Garland,” receive personalized instruction through smaller training groups for early intervention in support of graduation requirements.
• Maximize access to training: As class sizes increased, LMI worked with academy leaders to optimize training schedules and repurpose existing training spaces to sustain effective instruction and diagnostics within infrastructure constraints.  

By integrating technology, data analytics, and advanced fitness methods, FTS empowers leadership to make informed decisions based on real-time student data while proactively addressing readiness gaps to enhance graduation rates and overall performance.

Optimized training for enhanced mission preparedness

LMI’s support in the FTS program’s multidimensional approach to fitness preparation directly addressed key academy challenges.  

• Reduced fitness-related attrition rates, avoiding approximately $3.5M in training resource costs associated with non-completion.
• Improved diagnostic test scores by 25% on average from entry to graduation. Team Garland participants outperformed their peers, improving by 27%, compared to the cohort’s 9% average over the same period.
• Reached a 92.6% pass rate for the day 9 assessment, a key indicator of student readiness, while Team Garland achieved a 98.5% pass rate.
• Reduced injury waiver submissions over the course of the program, as observed and reported by Academy leadership.

As participation continues to grow, sessions are continuously refined to address evolving participant needs and align with broader military readiness objectives. Looking ahead, integrating wearable devices could further strengthen the program’s data-driven foundation by capturing additional biometric data markers that enable deeper insights into physical and mental resilience to support more personalized strategies.  

The FTS program’s scalable infrastructure provides DoW with a replicable training model that can expand to other institutions and training academies. LMI remains committed to working as a trusted partner to ensure personnel are prepared for a wide spectrum of global operations and can meet rigorous demands of DoW’s critical mission objectives.

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