title: The ageing Australian firefighter: an argument for age-based recruitment and fitness standards for urban fire services.
abstract: Currently, there is no enforcement of physical standards within Australian fire services post-recruitment, possibly leading to inappropriate fitness and body composition. This study evaluated the impacts of ageing on physical standards of Australian firefighters. Seventy-three firefighters from three different 10-year age groups [25-34 years (n = 27), 35-44 years (n = 27), 45-54 years (n = 19)] volunteered for physical testing using dual-energy X-ray analysis and existing fitness tests used for recruitment by an Australian fire service. Older (45-54 years) participants demonstrated significantly poorer physical standards compared with younger participants including cardiovascular fitness (p < 0.05), strength (p = 0.001) and simulated operational power testing tasks (p < 0.001). Age-related body composition changes were also observed independent of body mass index. Minimum recruitment standards and fitness programs need to account for age-related declines in physical capabilities to ensure that the minimum standard is maintained regardless of age.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health, National Institute of Sports Studies, University of Canberra , Bruce, Canberra , ACT 2601 , Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Driller
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Argus
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rattray
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001315:Australia; D001823:Body Composition; D005080:Exercise Test; D061388:Firefighters; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000592:standards*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: ageing; body composition; firefighter; fitness; recruitment