The first perfect score of the year

News Article / March 10, 2021

Click on the photo under “Image Gallery” to enlarge it.

Royal Canadian Air Force Public Affairs

Major Heather Smith, with 418 Search and Rescue Operational Training Squadron, based at 19 Wing Comox, British Columbia, is the first person to register a perfect score of 400 on the FORCE test this year. She achieved this extraordinary feat on February 24, early in the FORCE test rewards calendar year.

It is worth noting that, among the 21 recipients of a platinum award in 2019, only one person achieved a perfect score. In 2020, with the rewards program on hold for most of the year due to COVID-19, only one person posted a perfect score.

It’s safe to say that Maj Smith stands apart when it comes to fitness, workplace health, and wellness. She plays hockey and is a member of the International Military Sports Council women’s basketball team, serving as the co-captain for the team at the last World Military Games. She is actively engaged in promoting physical fitness at all levels, embracing the physical and mental benefits of physical activity.

In English, the FORCE acronym stands for: “Fitness for Operational Requirements of Canadian Armed Forces Employment”. The FORCE Program has three components: the evaluation, support programs, and fitness and wellness participation.

The FORCE test is a fitness evaluation made up of four components, or challenges, which are the 20 metre rushes, the sandbag lift, the intermittent loaded shuttles and the sandbag drag. These components are linked to the Common Military Tasks Fitness Evaluation and used to predict one’s ability to meet or exceed the minimal physical demands of military service.

Individual Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) or aggregate results are plotted on the FORCE Fitness profile and allow for a quick way to visualize the general health and fitness using the various coloured zones: red, orange, yellow, green, bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

The FORCE evaluation also includes physical fitness programs created by qualified PSP Fitness Staff, or physical fitness programs generated from DFit.ca that are designed to prepare CAF personnel for the physical rigours of operations, as well as unit physical training and programs provided by Health Promotion.