A submaximal job-related test drill was developed for assessing physical work capacity of fire-fighters at worksites. The drill with the fixed maximal working time of 14.5 min consists of five common smoke-diving (entry into a smoke-filled space) tasks done with full personal protective equipment. Cardiac strain of the drill and its dependence on the maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2 max) and age were studied with 59 experienced male fire-fighters aged 27–54 years. Their VO 2 max ranged from 29.7 to 67.0 ml/min/kg for cycling. Heart rate (HR) in the tasks of the drill was 91–184 beats/min corresponding to cardiac strain of 49–99% of the maximal HR. The estimated mean VO 2 of the drill was 26 ml/min/kg and 2.1 l/min (56% VO 2 max). Cardiac strain was significantly related to VO 2 max ( r = −0.50, p < 0.001) but insignificantly to age. The test drill efficiently rated fire-fighters according to their physical work capacity, and showed to be a valid and feasible method for the use in fire stations.