IT was a case of explosive exercise for Newton Abbot's firefighters as the crew recently undertook an annual fitness test instead of their typical offsite training.

There are four types of fitness tests Fire Stations can participate in each year to prove its firefighters still meet the required fitness parameters in order to fight fire effectively.

This year, the majority of the station chose to complete the bleep test.

This test saw the crew perform multiple shuttle runs between two fixed points over a 20 meter distance; crews needed to reach each point in between the 'bleeps', with each level allowing less and less time to achieve this.

The pass rate for an active firefighter is level 8.8

Of the firefighters who took part, all achieved the above-mentioned standard, with several of the crew choosing to continue and reach level 11 and beyond.

'Well done everyone, good effort as always, that's another year we don't have to worry about it for' a spokesman for Newton Abbot Fire Station.