Occupational cooling practices of emergency first responders in the United States: A survey

Abstract

Despite extensive documentation directed specifically toward mitigating thermal strain of first responders, we wished to ascertain the degree to which first responders applied cooling strategies, and what opinions are held by the various agencies/departments within the United States. An internet-based survey of first responders was distributed to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Firefighters, National Bomb Squad Advisory Board and the USA Interagency Board and their subsequent departments and branches. Individual first responder departments were questioned regarding the use of pre-, concurrent, post-cooling, types of methods employed, and/or reasons why they had not incorporated various methods in first responder deployment. Completed surveys were collected from 119 unique de-identified departments, including those working in law enforcement (29%), as firefighters (29%), EOD (28%) and HAZMAT technicians (15%). One-hundred and eighteen departments (99%) reported heat strain/illness to be a risk to employee safety during occupational duties. The percentage of departments with at least one case of heat illness in the previous year were as follows: fire (39%) HAZMAT (23%), EOD (20%) and law enforcement (18%). Post-cooling was the scheduled cooling method implemented the most (63%). Fire departments were significantly more likely to use post-cooling, as well as combine two types of scheduled cooling compared to other departments. Importantly, 25% of all departments surveyed provided no cooling whatsoever. The greatest barriers to personnel cooling were as followsavailability, cost, logistics, and knowledge. Our findings could aid in a better understanding of current practices and perceptions of heat illness and injury prevention in United States first responders.

An Evaluation of Personal Cooling Systems for Reducing Thermal Strain Whilst Working in Chemical/Biological Protective Clothing

“…As there is no one size fits all approach, it is important for key stakeholders to synthesize the relevant resources and literature in order to implement the most pragmatic means of cooling for their workers. With the final decision based upon gauging the occupations specific needs including, the threshold for risk of heat stress (Carter R. et al, 2007), employee characteristics (McGregor et al, 2015; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2016), expected work durations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2016), logistics and preparation time typically available (Bach et al, 2018), allowances for recovery (Carter J.M. et al, 2007), department budgetary constraints (Phuong et al, 2013; Bach et al, 2018), cooling system functionality and integration (Adams et al, 1994; Chan et al, 2013), seasonal and geographic considerations (Carter J.M.…”

“…With the final decision based upon gauging the occupations specific needs including, the threshold for risk of heat stress (Carter R. et al, 2007), employee characteristics (McGregor et al, 2015; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2016), expected work durations (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2016), logistics and preparation time typically available (Bach et al, 2018), allowances for recovery (Carter J.M. et al, 2007), department budgetary constraints (Phuong et al, 2013; Bach et al, 2018), cooling system functionality and integration (Adams et al, 1994; Chan et al, 2013), seasonal and geographic considerations (Carter J.M. et al, 2007; Hanna et al, 2011; McGregor et al, 2015; Nunfam et al, 2018), and the workplace capacity to measure the environment and the worker (McGregor et al, 2015; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2016).…”

The Influence of Extreme Heat on Police and Fire Department Services in 23 U.S. Cities

“…Traffic police officers have been found to have significant changes in blood pressure and heart rate (An et al, 2020), as well as heat stress symptoms like fatigue, cramps, and dizziness (Rasdi et al, 2017). Studies have found that firefighters can experience heat stress up to 20 times per year (Kim et al, 2019) and that many U.S. first responders agencies experience cases of heat illness regularly, with 39% of fire departments and 18% of law enforcement departments having at least one case of heat illness within the previous year (Bach et al, 2018). Despite this, nearly a quarter of the surveyed agencies provide no cooling mitigation or recovery resources (Bach et al, 2018).…”

“…Studies have found that firefighters can experience heat stress up to 20 times per year (Kim et al, 2019) and that many U.S. first responders agencies experience cases of heat illness regularly, with 39% of fire departments and 18% of law enforcement departments having at least one case of heat illness within the previous year (Bach et al, 2018). Despite this, nearly a quarter of the surveyed agencies provide no cooling mitigation or recovery resources (Bach et al, 2018). Climate change adaptation and preparedness plans need to account for the increased need of a broad number of societal services and these attendant consequences, like heat stress.…”

Extending work tolerance time in the heat in protective ensembles with pre- and per-cooling methods

“…Supporting this, the present study showed the addition of slushy ingestion to IV further reduced thermoregulatory strain (Table 2, Figure 2A) which benefited the cardiovascular system (Table 4, Figure 2C). It is reported end-users do not utilise cooling methods before or during work as frequently as following work (52). Whether this is due to time and/or education is currently unknown, though logistics and time constraints are often cited as barriers to cooling method use (52).…”