Cardio equipment

[Finnius]

My Dept has approx. $10,000 to spend on cardio equip for 2 stations. Is there any one piece of cardio equipment that would best suit a Firefighters needs, or is it whatever piece you can get them to use that is best.

[Wildman51]

Sorry for the delay in responding to this post… I’d suggest a Stairmaster(freeclimber) or Gauntlet Stair (Stepmill 7000) machine. Both are fairly low impact, but directly related to our job. As well, you can throw on an Air pak or hi-rise pack for added conditioning. You can’t run on a treadmill with a hi-rise pack! Stay away from elliptical machines. I’ve also used a device called a Jacobs Ladder. Essentially, it’s like climbing up a 45 degree never ending ladder. Again, you can wear an Air Pak to step it up a notch.
You are absolutely right in your statement. It doesn’t matter how fancy the equipment is or what it can do to better your health…If the guys don’t use it, it’s useless.
I found a link for you for the ladder machine... Go Hard!
Jacobs Ladder Machine