Firefighter Health and Fitness Assessment

Abstract

Sudden cardiac deaths experienced by firefighters in the line of duty account for the largest proportion of deaths annually. Several fire service standards for fitness and wellness have been recommended but currently only 30% of U.S. fire departments are implementing programs for this purpose. The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate has initiated the Physiological Health Assessment System for Emergency Responders (PHASER) program aiming to reduce these line-of-duty deaths through an integration of medical science and sensor technologies. Confirming previous reports, PHASER comprehensive risk assessment has identified lack of physical fitness with propensity for overexertion as a major modifiable risk factor. We sought to determine if current levels of fitness and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a contemporary cohort of firefighters were better than those reported over the past 30 years. Fifty-one firefighters from a Southern California department were characterized for physical fitness and CVD risk factors using standard measures. Overall, physical fitness and risk factors were not different from previous reports of firefighter fitness and most subjects did not achieve recommended fitness standards. Considering the lack of widespread implementation of wellness/fitness programs in the U.S. fire service together with our findings that low physical fitness and the presence of CVD risk factors persist, we issue a call to action among health and fitness professionals to assist the fire service in implementing programs for firefighters that improve fitness and reduce CVD risk factors. Fitness professionals should be empowered to work with fire departments lending their expertise to guide programs that achieve these objectives, which may then lead to reduced incidence of sudden cardiac death or stroke.

Repeat work bouts increase thermal strain for Australian firefighters working in the heat

“…18,19 Firefighters responding to emergency incidents in the heat are tasked with carrying various loads including hoses and tools requiring high levels of physical strength to ensure safe and effective operations. 16,44 Thus, heat-related declines in strength observed in this study would likely be replicated in the field and may be leading to a decrease in the ability of firefighters to safely complete work tasks during long duration emergency events. Thus, it may be prudent to evaluate possible strength and conditioning programs in order to maximize strength, in conjunction with appropriate rehabilitation programs to maximize strength-related performance and safety of firefighters when working in the heat.…”

Towards best practice in physical and physiological employment standards

“…Some workers will spend their entire career within such cyclical variations in operational tempo. Unless those workers are habitually active in areas that complement the physical demands of the workplace, operational capability will almost certainly decline, and the risk of workplace injury will rise (Kenny et al 2016;Storer et al 2014). One solution is the more frequent administration of employment screening tests.…”

“…Yet there is clear research evidence that many physiological similarities exist between the first and last groups (Narici et al 2008). Indeed, habitual sedentary behaviours come with physiological penalties (Chakravarthy 2008), and these can impact upon readiness for work and workrelated injuries (Poplin et al 2014;Storer et al 2014). To address the issue of returning to work within physically demanding trades, it is the authors' recommendation that two prerequisites must be satisfied in sequence.…”

Perfil antropométrico de bombeiros militares: comparação entre os grupos de trabalho operacional e administrativo

“…Além disso, a composição corporal é um dos cinco componentes da aptidão física relacionada à saúde que, junto com a flexibilidade, a força, a resistência muscular e a aptidão cardiorrespiratória, pode determinar o estado de saúde do indivíduo, assim como sua condição em realizar atividades físicas da vida diária 7,8 . A composição corporal é importante não somente para a saúde, mas também para o desempenho profissional dos bombeiros [9][10][11][12] . É apontada uma alta associação entre o baixo desempenho em testes de habilidades relacionadas às tarefas da profissão de bombeiro militar e valores elevados de índice de massa corporal (IMC), percentual de gordura (%G) e circunferência da cintura (CC) 13 .…”