Influence of Personal Protective Equipment on Wildland Firefighters’ Physiological Response and Performance during the Pack Test

Carballo-Leyenda, Belén; Gutiérrez-Arroyo, Jorge; García-Heras, Fabio; Sánchez-Collado, Pilar; Villa-Vicente, José Gerardo; Rodríguez-Marroyo, José A.

doi:10.3390/ijerph18105050

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This research used, as input data, segments of electrocardiograms of a specific population: firefighters and forest firefighters who are exposed to aggressive and extreme environmental conditions that make the process of homeostasis very dynamic and reflected in the behavior of HRV [ 19 , 55 ]. The characteristics of this studied population are given by a universe of 12 individuals who have the following characteristics: Age: 35–45 years.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Solving the self-control of HRV using biofeedback over continuous time [ 2 ] contributes to physical and psychological well-being and safety in individuals such as firefighters and forest firefighters, who are constantly subjected to environments with extreme and aggressive conditions. Having a consequence of fatigue, dizziness, weakness, fainting, and so on [ 11 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heart Rate Variability Control Using a Biofeedback and Wearable System

Viera

Kaschel

Valencia

2022

Sensors

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Heart rate variability is an important physiological parameter in medicine. This parameter is used as an indicator of physiological and psychological well-being and even of certain pathologies. Research on biofeedback integrates the fields of biological application (physiological behavior), system modeling, and automated control. This study proposes a new method for modeling and controlling heart rate variability as heart rate acceleration, a model expressed in the frequency domain. The model is obtained from excitation and response signals from heart rate variability, which through the instrumental variables method and the minimization of a cost function delivers a transfer function that represents the physiological phenomenon. This study also proposes the design of an adaptive controller using the reference model. The controller controls heart rate variability based on the light actuators designed here, generating a conditioned reflex that allows individuals to self-regulate their state through biofeedback, synchronizing this action to homeostasis. Modeling is conducted in a target population of middle-aged men who work as firefighters and forest firefighters. This study validates the proposed model, as well as the design of the controllers and actuators, through a simple experiment based on indoor cycling. This experiment has different segments, namely leaving inertia, non-controlled segment, and actively controlled segment.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heart Rate Variability Control Using a Biofeedback and Wearable System

Viera

Kaschel

Valencia

2022

Sensors

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“…These substances adversely affect the human body and can cause diseases such as cancer [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Therefore, the correct use, washing and management of personal protective equipment (PPE) is very important for firefighters engaged in firefighting activities at fire scenes [16][17][18]. The PPE worn by firefighters during fire scenes includes firefighting protective suits (FPSs), self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) cylinders, face masks, helmets, firefighting boots and gloves.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between Recognition and Behaviors Regarding the Use, Washing and Management of Firefighting Protection Suits and Public Health Awareness of Occupational Exposure Risks among Firefighters

Kim,

Ham

2024

Fire

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The firefighting protective suits (FPSs) of firefighters at fire scenes affect their health and safety. However, the association between firefighters’ health awareness of occupational exposure risks and the FPS use, washing and management remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between firefighters’ health awareness of occupational exposure risks and their recognition, behaviors regarding the use, washing and management of FPSs. This study design is a cross-sectional study and used a web-based survey of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s electronic survey system. The survey was conducted on metropolitan firefighters performing shift work in charge of fire and rescue work for 21 days from 1 to 22 April 2019, with 1097 (40.3%) respondents. Characteristics of FPS use, washing and management and the association between thoughts and behaviors thereof and health awareness of occupational exposure risks were evaluated. Data of 1097 firefighters were analyzed using the SAS 9.4 statistical package, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Firefighters’ fire scene awareness rate of possible carcinogens was 94.4%. There was an association between public health thinking of occupational exposure risks and the correct use of an FPS for one’s own safety (AOR 1.97. 95% CI 1.02–3.80). However, no association was shown between correct FPS use (AOR 1.49, 95% CI 0.48–4.59), washing (AOR 2.50, 95% CI 0.93–6.68) and management (AOR 1.38, 95% CI 0.75–2.50) behaviors. This study analyzed the relationship between the use, washing and management of personal protective equipment called firefighting clothing and firefighters perceived occupational exposure risks. This study found an association between the health awareness of occupational exposure risks and recognition of the correct use of FPSs at fire scenes but not between using, washing and managing behaviors of FPSs. This study is the first to analyze the relationship between firefighting clothing and occupational health awareness level. The results confirm that future interventions are required to help firefighters practice desirable behaviors toward FPSs and provided evidenced data for preventing occupational diseases among firefighters. Therefore, this study can be used to develop a firefighter occupational health curriculum and establish health and safety plans from mid- to long-term perspectives for firefighters’ safety against occupational exposure risks.

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“…Therefore, the use of physical tests for selecting these workers can help ensure that they possess the physical fitness levels necessary to perform their work safely and efficiently [10]. Specifically, for WFFs, to determine whether personnel are fit for duty, an increasing number of agencies (e.g., the USDA Forest Service; Australian Fire Agencies; British Columbia Forest Service in Canada or Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Spain) employ 2 of 13 physical competency tests such as the Pack test [13,14]. This test involves a 4.8 km hike over level terrain while carrying a 20.4 kg pack within 45 min.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This test involves a 4.8 km hike over level terrain while carrying a 20.4 kg pack within 45 min. This test was designed to challenge an individual's muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness, mimicking the physiological strain encountered during wildland fire suppression using hand tools [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a High-Intensity Circuit Training Program on the Physical Fitness of Wildland Firefighters

Gutiérrez-Arroyo

García-Heras

Carballo-Leyenda

et al. 2023

IJERPH

Self Cite

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Wildland firefighting implies high physical and psychological demands for the personnel involved. Therefore, good physical fitness can help increase the work efficiency of wildland firefighters (WFFs) and safeguard their health. High-intensity circuit training (HICT) could be a good alternative to improve the physical condition of WFFs since it stands out for its functionality and economy. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the effects of HICT on the WFFs’ physical fitness. The study involved 9 WFFs (8 males and 1 female; 29.8 ± 2.8 years; 175.6 ± 6.7 cm) who completed a training program and 9 WFF candidates (8 males and 1 female; 24.7 ± 6.6 yr, 176.5 ± 7.0 cm) as a control group. WFFs performed an 8-week HICT program (two weekly training sessions). The training sessions lasted approximately 45 min and were performed at an intensity >80% of maximal heart rate and RPE values >7.5. At the beginning and the end of the intervention, subjects’ physical fitness (i.e., aerobic capacity, cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular resistance and explosive strength) was assessed through different tests. After completing the training program, WFFs had significantly increased (p < 0.05) the speed at which the ventilatory thresholds were determined (12.4 ± 13.9 and 5.7 ± 7.3% for the ventilatory and respiratory compensation thresholds, respectively) and also their abdominal (31.2 ± 17.2%), lumbar (34.1 ± 13.5%) and upper limb (13.3 ± 16.0%) strength. Moreover, improvements (p < 0.05) in the explosive strength of legs (7.1 ± 5.8%) and performance in a specific physical employment test (12.2 ± 6.1%) were observed. In conclusion, the results of this study show that an 8-week high-intensity circuit training program could be an effective and safe method to improve WFFs’ physical fitness and performance.

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Influence of Personal Protective Equipment on Wildland Firefighters’ Physiological Response and Performance during the Pack Test

Cited by 8 publications

References 37 publications

Heart Rate Variability Control Using a Biofeedback and Wearable System

Heart Rate Variability Control Using a Biofeedback and Wearable System

Associations between Recognition and Behaviors Regarding the Use, Washing and Management of Firefighting Protection Suits and Public Health Awareness of Occupational Exposure Risks among Firefighters

Effect of a High-Intensity Circuit Training Program on the Physical Fitness of Wildland Firefighters

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