title: The influence of short-term firefighting activity on information processing performance.
abstract: This study examined the following: effects of simulated firefighting (FF) activities under heat stress on sustained attention; whether incident rehabilitation (IR) influences performance; and relationships between performance, affect and personality. Firefighters performed ~18 min of FF. Attention, physiological, perceptual and psychological assessments were made before and after FF, IR and recovery. IR had no effects. Self-rated Energy increased, Tiredness decreased and Anxiety increased immediately post-FF; all returned to baseline 120 min post. The immediate effect of FF was faster reaction time (RT) followed by slowing after recovery. Perceived Energy at baseline was associated (p-values < 0.05) with faster and Tiredness with slower post-FF RTs; Accuracy was unaffected. Conscientiousness was negatively associated with RT before and 120 min following FF. RTs were faster following FF, accuracy was unchanged. Higher baseline Energy/lower Tiredness were associated with faster, less variable RTs at baseline and post-FF. Those with higher Conscientiousness had faster RTs. Research should further investigate higher-level cognitive processing following, or ideally during, FF.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Kinesiology and Community Health , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Tina A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Greenlee
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: Denise L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fahey
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Petruzzello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001288:Attention; D001831:Body Temperature; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology; D061388:Firefighters / Q000523:psychology*; D005390:Fires; D006358:Hot Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D010551:Personality; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: anxiety; cognitive processing; energy; firefighting; reaction time