Epidemiology of injuries to wildland firefighters

Britton, Carla; Lynch, Charles F.; Ramirez, Marizen; Torner, James C.; Buresh, Christopher; Peek‐Asa, Corinne

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2012.08.032

Cited by 56 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Since WLFFs often work in rough and steep terrain, we investigated the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries. In a study of injuries reported to the U.S. Department of the Interior between 2003 and 2007, slips, trips, and falls were identified as the most common mechanism of injury and the largest contributor to sprains, strains, fractures, and dislocations [Britton et al, ]. In our survey, we observed evidence of a relationship between wildland firefighting experience and a history of two musculoskeletal surgeries including knee and wrist/hand surgeries.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

A cross‐sectional survey of occupational history as a wildland firefighter and health

Semmens

Domitrovich

Conway

et al. 2016

American J Industrial Med

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

A cross‐sectional survey of occupational history as a wildland firefighter and health

Semmens

Domitrovich

Conway

et al. 2016

American J Industrial Med

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“…The negative physiological and psychological impact may be exacerbated during the early days of exposure (in a nonacclimatized state) and from consecutive work shifts [66,67], thus increasing the risk for injury [6]. The most reported nonfatal injuries among wildland firefighters are from common hazards such as slips, trips, and falls, which may be due to fatigue, along with smoke inhalation as a result of pollution exposure [68]. In a large occupational study (N = 58,495) in Thailand, it was found that 20% of workers developed occupational heat stress that was strongly associated with injury.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oral Glutamine Supplement Reduces Subjective Fatigue Ratings during Repeated Bouts of Firefighting Simulations

Moore

Moriarty²,

Mermier³

et al. 2019

Safety

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Wildland firefighting requires repetitive (e.g., consecutive work shifts) physical work in dangerous conditions (e.g., heat and pollution). Workers commonly enter these environments in a nonacclimated state, leading to fatigue and heightened injury risk. Strategies to improve tolerance to these stressors are lacking. Purpose: To determine if glutamine ingestion prior to and after consecutive days of firefighting simulations in the heat attenuates subjective ratings of fatigue, and evaluate if results were supported by glutamine-induced upregulation of biological stress responses. Methods: Participants (5 male, 3 female) ingested glutamine (0.15 g/kg/day) or a placebo before and after two consecutive days (separated by 24 h) of firefighter simulations in a heated chamber (35 °C, 35% humidity). Perceived fatigue and biological stress were measured pre-, post-, and 4 h postexercise in each trial. Results: Subjective fatigue was reduced pre-exercise on Day 2 in the glutamine group (p < 0.05). Peripheral mononuclear cell expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and serum antioxidants were elevated at 4 h postexercise on Day 1 in the glutamine trial (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Ingestion of glutamine before and after repeated firefighter simulations in the heat resulted in reduced subjective fatigue on Day 2, which may be a result of the upregulation of biological stress systems (antioxidants, HSPs). This response may support recovery and improve work performance.

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“…These environmental, physical and emotional stressors encountered by firefighters are likely the key determinants of job-related injuries and fatal events at work [7 -10]. A recent study of Britton et al [11] reported that during the 5-year period, the slips/trips/falls (34%) and equipment/ tools/machinery (31%) were the most common mechanisms with the lower extremity, the most common body part involved (35%).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reaction Time to Visual Stimulus in Firefighters and Healthy Trained Subjects: A Preliminary Comparative Study

Perroni

Mol²,

Walker

et al. 2018

TOSSJ

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Background: In order to stay safe, and to successfully complete their work, firefighters have to constantly assess and process large numbers of sensory stimuli and adapt to the inherent risks present in the working environment. Objective: The purposes of the present preliminary study were to analyse the speed of Reaction Time responses (RT) of Italian Firefighters and to compare their cognitive responses with non-firefighting subjects. Methods: Anthropometric (weight, height and BMI) and RT (time-to-completion –TTC-, mean of reaction time –MRT-, and errors made -E-) evaluations were administered at 16 volunteers (Age: 40.3 ± 6.7 yrs; BMI: 23.8 ± 2.3 kg/m2) divided in Firefighters (FG) and Control (CG) groups. RT test consisted of 3 trials (T1 = 1s of stimulus duration and 1s interval between stimulus and the other; T2 = 0.5s of stimulus duration and 1s interval between stimulus and the other; T3 = 0.5s of stimulus duration and 0.5s interval between stimulus and the other). Mann Whitney U test between groups was applied to asses differences (p ≤ 0.05) in TTC, MRT, and E while Friedmann test and Dunn-Sidak post hoc were used to evaluate significant differences in the 3 trials in each variable of each group. Results: No significant differences based on anthropometric parameters were observed between groups. Despite no significant differences emerged for TTC and MRT between groups, we observed significant differences in E between groups (CG = 4; FG =12) and in the 3rd condition in each variable of each group. Conclusion: Workout programs that integrate reaction time training with job performance should be created to increase job performance.

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Epidemiology of injuries to wildland firefighters

Cited by 56 publications

References 19 publications

A cross‐sectional survey of occupational history as a wildland firefighter and health

A cross‐sectional survey of occupational history as a wildland firefighter and health

Oral Glutamine Supplement Reduces Subjective Fatigue Ratings during Repeated Bouts of Firefighting Simulations

Reaction Time to Visual Stimulus in Firefighters and Healthy Trained Subjects: A Preliminary Comparative Study

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