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

Abstract

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.

Are there sex differences in physiological parameters and reaction time responses to overload in firefighters?

“…We hypothesized that the "static" execution of the test did not reproduce the highly variable working conditions on where firefighters usually operate. Compared with our previous study [29], the new results demonstrated low value in both female and male recruits for MRT in all trial, but with a different trend for errors. Despite Morris et al [52] shown that RT can be impaired when wearing a weighted vest to simulate personal protective equipment while performing a simulated…”

“…Zhang et al [50] reported faster response time after a treadmill exercise in a heated chamber, while Hemmatjo et al [51] showed a faster RT (but with less correct responses) at the end of firefighting activities in a smoke-diving room. Previously, our group [29] found that firefighters made significantly more errors than no firefighters in basal condition, where the RT required was high, underlining a lower level of cognitive function. We hypothesized that the "static" execution of the test did not reproduce the highly variable working conditions on where firefighters usually operate.…”

“…To evaluated mean reaction time (MRT) and errors made by each subject (he/she was not quick enough to touch before the disc light deactivated; E), we purposed a test that consisted of 3 trials of 30 beats each. Trials were different for both the duration and frequency of the stimuli [29]. In particular, the three trials were defined as follows:…”

Sleep Quality’s Effect on Vigilance and Perceptual Ability in Adolescent and Adult Athletes

“…e Fitlight Trainer ® (FitLight Sports Corp, Canada; available in Greece by Serinth ® ) is a wireless reaction system comprised of four LED lights controlled by a tablet computer. e lights have an inbuilt sensor which reacts proximity or touch and deactivates the light [13]. Four lights positioned on the floor were used as stimulus (Figure 1) and turning off the lights was done with feet.…”