title: Absolute vs. weight-related maximum oxygen uptake in firefighters: fitness evaluation with and without protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus among age group.
abstract: During fire emergencies, firefighters wear personal protective devices (PC) and a self-contained breathing apparatus (S.C.B.A.) to be protected from injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of aerobic level in 197 firefighters (age: 34±7 yr; BMI: 24.4±2.3 kg.m-2), evaluated by a Queen's College Step field Test (QCST), performed with and without fire protective garments, and to analyze the differences among age groups (<25 yr; 26-30 yr, 31-35 yr, 36-40 yr and >40 yr). Variance analysis was applied to assess differences (p < 0.05) between tests and age groups observed in absolute and weight-related values, while a correlation was examined between QCST with and without PC+S.C.B.A. The results have shown that a 13% of firefighters failed to complete the test with PC+S.C.B.A. and significant differences between QCST performed with and without PC+S.C.B.A. in absolute (F(1,169) = 42.6, p < 0.0001) and weight-related (F(1,169) = 339.9, p < 0.0001) terms. A better correlation has been found in L•min-1 (r=0.67) than in ml•kg-1•min-1 (r=0.54). Moreover, we found significant differences among age groups both in absolute and weight-related values. The assessment of maximum oxygen uptake of firefighters in absolute term can be a useful tool to evaluate the firefighters' cardiovascular strain.
authors.affiliation: School of Exercise and Sport Sciences (SUISM), Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perroni
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guidetti
authors.affiliation: Italian Fire Fighter Corp, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lamberto
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cignitti
authors.affiliation: Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baldari
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D061388:Firefighters; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011481:Protective Clothing; D012134:Respiratory Protective Devices