Firefighter and Fire Instructor’s Physiological Responses and Safety in Various Training Fire Environments

Details

• Personal Author:
  DeBlois JP ; Fent, Kenneth W. ; Fernhall B ; Horn, Gavin P. ; Kerber, Stephen ; Kesler RM ; Scott WS ; Smith, Denise L. ; Stewart JW
• Description:
  For firefighters around the world, fire training is necessary to ensure operational readiness, but can be hazardous. Fire instructors routinely attempt to design safe but realistic scenarios and may do so in very different thermal environments. Yet, the physiological burden (and presumed physiological benefits) of different training has rarely been investigated. We studied the impact of three training fire environments: (a) pallets (Pallet), (b) oriented strand board (OSB) and simulated fire/smoke (Fog) on firefighters' and fire instructors' physiological responses. Peak ambient temperatures exceeded 420 degrees C in Pallet and OSB scenarios, but were less than 40 degrees C for Fog. Firefighters' peak core temperatures, heart rates and hemostatic responses were not statistically different among the training environments despite the large differences in ambient conditions. Instructors' heart rate and hemostatic responses were significantly blunted compared to the firefighters' despite similar peak core temperatures, suggesting instructors performed less work or were less stressed. It is important that physiological responses experienced by firefighters and instructors working in fully encapsulating personal protective equipment be considered based on intensity and duration of work, regardless of the apparent risk from ambient conditions. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular System Firefighters Heat Stress Disorders Hot Temperature Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Temperature
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Coagulation Fire Fighters Firefighting Heart Attack Heart Attacks Heart Rate Heat Stress Hemostasis Occupational Safety Physiological Response Temperature Effects Training

  More +
• ISSN:
  0925-7535
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; Maryland ; New York ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  287-294
• Volume:
  116
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055381
• Citation:
  Saf Sci 2019 Jul; 116:287-294
• Contact Point Address:
  Gavin P. Horn, Illinois Fire Service Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, MC-675, 11 Gerty Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
• Email:
  ghorn@illinois.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2019
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Safety Science
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8aa9a07f3ce0ed98dd7cd6cf454ea11e08fa49879f736fdb0b474493570b1e899c388b1d3c1e7307a10840186e0d471fc9a623e2fe942f3a1672f453ad3d00d6
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213251/cdc_213251_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 827.79 KB ]