Comparing physical fitness in career vs. volunteer firefighters.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arnett SW ; Morris CE ; Winchester LJ
• Description:
  The purpose of this study was to assess the potential similarities and differences in health and physical fitness profiles between career firefighters (CFF) and volunteer firefighters (VFF). The research protocol consisted of a health and physical fitness assessment, testing the 5 components of health-related fitness using previously published and accepted protocols. The subject population consisted of a total of 138 firefighters, including 119 CFF and 19 VFF. Statistical significance was defined as a p level less than 0.05. An independent t test showed evidence of CFF having a significantly higher value/score for the following variables: height (p = 0.034), Vo2max (p = 0.006), push-ups completed (p = 0.024), and plank time (p < 0.001). Volunteer firefighters had a significantly higher value for the following variables: fat mass (p = 0.002), body fat percentage (p < 0.001), and absolute grip strength (p = 0.029). There were no significant differences between groups for the following variables: age (p = 0.299), body mass (p = 0.166), fat-free mass (p = 0.281), body mass index (p = 0.057), flexibility (p = 0.106), or relative grip strength (p = 0.887). With regard to physical fitness testing, the VFF had a significantly worse fitness profile across a number of variables than the CFF. Practical applications: Despite the financial and commitment status of volunteer firefighting departments, their members perform an equally dangerous and important job as do firefighters of professional/career firefighting departments, and more attention should be directed toward developing the fitness and performance of these firefighters. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular System Firefighters Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Ergonomics; Tactical Performance; First Responders Fire Fighters; Physical Fitness; Cardiovascular Health; Body Measurements; Physical Capacity; Physiological Measurements;
• ISSN:
  1064-8011
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; Kentucky ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  36
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20065129
• Citation:
  J Strength Cond Res 2022 May; 36(5):1304-1309
• Contact Point Address:
  Cody E. Morris, Department of Human Studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
• Email:
  cemorris@uab.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  University of Cincinnati
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1dde6363f6a3b55ebbb232e4117d0f9213fbed422260a6d9da94938ee14b45b1b7980e8afa19277933a1e644efc53fc8b646d3d70e1d7b542c1683b4cb7b8a1c
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248810/cdc_248810_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 291.61 KB ]