Citation

Kim S, Lee JY. J. Korea Inst. Fire Sci. Eng. 2016; 30(1): 138-148.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering)

DOI

10.7731/KIFSE.2016.30.1.138

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

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 ± 30 s.). Rectal temperatures were found to increase from 37.4 ±0.3 degrees C to 38.5 ±0.4 degrees C, while heart rates were found to increase from 92±18bpm to 185±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.

Language: ko