• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.138-148
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• 2016

A firefighting simulation was developed in order to assess the physical work capacity of firefighters. The simulation consisted of eight common firefighting tasks, including walking with radiant heat for 3 min while wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE). Nine professional firefighters performed the test a total of three times with a 5 min rest interval between each session. The entire series of tests took approximately 30 min to complete ($381{\pm}30s$). Rectal temperatures were found to increase from $37.4{\pm}0.3^{\circ}C$ to $38.5{\pm}0.4^{\circ}C$, while heart rates were found to increase from $92{\pm}18bpm$ to $185{\pm}13bpm$ during testing. Time to completion of the test drills and non-modified physical fitness values showed a significantly negative correlation (r = -0.728, p < 0.05). Firefighters who had longer periods of firefighting service had longer duration time and also recorded higher scores using an integrated scoring system of time to completion (TTC) and physiological strain index (PhSI). The results indicated that the determination of TTC alone can be a misrepresentation of capability, as it neglects to account for accumulated heat strain. The simulated firefighting test provided a useful insight into physical fitness level, but also the comprehensive work capacity of the firefighters when assessed based on TTC and PhSI.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.386-392
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• 2017

Background: Fire service workers often implement multiple duties in the emergency conditions, with such duties being mostly conducted in various ambient temperatures. Methods: The aim of the current study was to assess the firefighters' physiological responses, information processing, and working memory prior to and following simulated firefighting activities in three different hot environments. Seventeen healthy male firefighters performed simulated firefighting tasks in three separate conditions, namely (1) low heat (LH; $29-31^{\circ}C$, 55-60% relative humidity), (2) moderate heat (MH; $32-34^{\circ}C$, 55-60% relative humidity), and (3) severe heat (SH; $35-37^{\circ}C$, 55-60% relative humidity). It took about 45-50 minutes for each firefighter to finish all defined firefighting activities and the paced auditory serial addition test (PASAT). Results: At the end of all the three experimental conditions, heart rate (HR) and tympanic temperature (TT) increased, while PASAT scores as a measure of information processing performance decreased relative to baseline. HR and TT were significantly higher at the end of the experiment in the SH ($159.41{\pm}4.25beats/min$; $38.22{\pm}0.10^{\circ}C$) compared with the MH ($156.59{\pm}3.77beats/min$; $38.20{\pm}0.10^{\circ}C$) and LH ($154.24{\pm}4.67beats/min$; $38.17{\pm}0.10^{\circ}C$) conditions (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in PASAT scores between LH and MH (p > 0.05). Nonetheless, there was a measurable difference in PASAT scores between LH and SH (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These consequences demonstrate that ambient temperature is effective in raising the physiological responses following firefighting activities. It is therefore argued that further increase of ambient temperature can impact firefighters' information processing and working memory during firefighting activity.