title: Physiological responses to simulated firefighter exercise protocols in varying environments.
abstract: For decades, research to quantify the effects of firefighting activities and personal protective equipment on physiology and biomechanics has been conducted in a variety of testing environments. It is unknown if these different environments provide similar information and comparable responses. A novel Firefighting Activities Station, which simulates four common fireground tasks, is presented for use with an environmental chamber in a controlled laboratory setting. Nineteen firefighters completed three different exercise protocols following common research practices. Simulated firefighting activities conducted in an environmental chamber or live-fire structures elicited similar physiological responses (max heart rate: 190.1 vs 188.0 bpm, core temperature response: 0.047°C/min vs 0.043°C/min) and accelerometry counts. However, the response to a treadmill protocol commonly used in laboratory settings resulted in significantly lower heart rate (178.4 vs 188.0 bpm), core temperature response (0.037°C/min vs 0.043°C/min) and physical activity counts compared with firefighting activities in the burn building. Practitioner Summary: We introduce a new approach for simulating realistic firefighting activities in a controlled laboratory environment for ergonomics assessment of fire service equipment and personnel. Physiological responses to this proposed protocol more closely replicate those from live-fire activities than a traditional treadmill protocol and are simple to replicate and standardise.
authors.affiliation: a Fire Service Institute , University of Illinois , Urbana-Champaign , IL , USA.
authors.forename: Gavin P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Horn
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Kesler
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Motl
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Hsiao-Wecksler
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Klaren
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ensari
authors.forename: Matthew N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Petrucci
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fernhall
authors.forename: Karl S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Rosengren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters; D005390:Fires; D006339:Heart Rate; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011481:Protective Clothing; D000066908:Simulation Training; D013696:Temperature; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: core temperature; firefighting; heart rate; heat stress; test protocol