Physiological work demands of Spanish wildland firefighters during wildfire suppression

Rodríguez-Marroyo, José A.; López-Satué, Jorge; Pernía, Raúl; Carballo, Belén; García-López, Juan; Foster, Carl; Villa, José G.

doi:10.1007/s00420-011-0661-4

Cited by 61 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Descriptive field research has been conducted in firefighters performing work in various ambient conditions (Apud and Meyer, 2011;Budd et al, 1997b;Cuddy et al, 2015;Raines et al, 2015;Rodríguez-Marroyo et al, 2012;Rodríguez-Marroyo et al, 2011). However, the fact that work tasks are not standardised in the field, coupled with the lack of a control group, makes it difficult to precisely quantify the effect of heat on work performance and physiology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effect of heat on firefighters' work performance and physiology

Larsen

Snow

Aisbett

2015

Journal of Thermal Biology

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effect of heat on firefighters' work performance and physiology

Larsen

Snow

Aisbett

2015

Journal of Thermal Biology

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“…firefighting, military) and the general population has investigated the individual impact of physical work (Budd et al 1997;Fahs et al 2011;Glickman-Weiss et al 1995;Perroni et al 2009;Rodríguez-Marroyo et al 2012;Smith et al 2005;Taylor et al 2008) and sleep restriction (Meier-Ewert et al 2004;van Leeuwen et al 2009) on acute cortisol and HR responses. However, wildfire suppression work typically exposes personnel to a combination of these demands over consecutive shifts Cater et al 2007;Cuddy et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of sleep restriction while performing simulated physical firefighting work on cortisol and heart rate responses

Wolkow

Aisbett

Reynolds

et al. 2015

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Findings highlight the protective role an 8-h sleep opportunity between shifts of firefighting work has on preserving normal cortisol levels when compared to a 4-h sleep opportunity which resulted in elevated afternoon and evening cortisol. Given the adverse health outcomes associated with chronically high cortisol, especially later in the day, future research should examine how prolonged exposure to firefighting work (including restricted sleep) affects firefighters' cortisol levels long term. Furthermore, monitoring cortisol levels post-deployment will determine the minimum recovery time firefighters need to safely return to the fire-ground.

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“…Such deployments can also occur in hot [6] climatic conditions, potentially placing further physiological demands on these emergency service workers. Thus, understanding how different environmental conditions impact worker productivity and safety is essential for personnel in leadership, logistics, and health and safety roles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Heat Exposure and Sleep Restriction on Firefighters’ Work Performance and Physiology during Simulated Wildfire Suppression

Vincent

Aisbett

Larsen

et al. 2017

IJERPH

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This study was designed to examine the effects of ambient heat on firefighters’ physical task performance, and physiological and perceptual responses when sleep restricted during simulated wildfire conditions. Thirty firefighters were randomly allocated to the sleep restricted (n = 17, SR; 19 °C, 4-h sleep opportunity) or hot and sleep restricted (n = 13, HOT + SR; 33 °C, 4-h sleep opportunity) condition. Firefighters performed two days of simulated, intermittent, self-paced work circuits comprising six firefighting tasks. Heart rate, and core temperature were measured continuously. After each task, firefighters reported their rating of perceived exertion and thermal sensation. Effort sensation was also reported after each work circuit. Fluids were consumed ad libitum. Urine volume and urine specific gravity were analysed. Sleep was monitored using polysomnography. There were no differences between the SR and HOT + SR groups in firefighters’ physiological responses, hydration status, ratings of perceived exertion, motivation, and four of the six firefighting tasks (charged hose advance, rake, hose rolling, static hose hold). Black out hose and lateral repositioning were adversely affected in the HOT + SR group. Working in hot conditions did not appear to consistently impair firefighters work performance, physiology, and perceptual responses. Future research should determine whether such findings remain true when individual tasks are performed over longer durations.

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Physiological work demands of Spanish wildland firefighters during wildfire suppression

Abstract: The results demonstrate the high work strain sustained by Spanish wildland firefighters during wildfire suppression. Both workload and CHSI increased with the wildfires duration although the pace of work was faster in wildfires of a shorter duration.

Cited by 61 publications

References 37 publications

Effect of heat on firefighters' work performance and physiology

Effect of heat on firefighters' work performance and physiology

The impact of sleep restriction while performing simulated physical firefighting work on cortisol and heart rate responses

The Impact of Heat Exposure and Sleep Restriction on Firefighters’ Work Performance and Physiology during Simulated Wildfire Suppression

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