title: Variability in performance on a work simulation test of physical fitness for firefighters.
abstract: The Canadian Forces Firefighter Physical Fitness Maintenance Evaluation (FF PFME) requires firefighters in full fire-protective ensemble, including self-contained breathing apparatus, to correctly complete 10 work-related tasks on a measured and calibrated course. Fitness for duty is inferred from completion time of the course. We hypothesized that completion time may be dependent on pacing strategy and day-to-day fluctuations in biological function. To examine variability in performance, 20 females and 31 males (mean ± SD; age, 27.6 ± 10.5 years; height, 176.7 ± 8.3 cm; mass, 77.3 ± 13.4 kg) were familiarized with the FF PFME and then completed the test on 6 separate days. Pre-test behaviours (e.g., sleep, diet) and test conditions (e.g., calibration, time of day) were consistent. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant decrease in completion time between tests 1 and 6 (18.7%) and between all sequential pairs (e.g., tests 1 and 2). There was also a small but significant increase in the fraction of total test time for task completion and a corresponding decrease in the time to transition between tasks. The performance improvements cannot be explained by differences in effort (heart rate and perceived exertion). Coefficient of variation for tests 1, 2, and 3 was 7% and for tests 4, 5, and 6 was 2.6%. The results indicate the importance of practice on performance and the potential for false-positive or false-negative decision errors if biological variability is not taken into account.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H9, Canada.
authors.forename: Liam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Docherty
authors.forename: Stewart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D061388:Firefighters; D015438:Health Behavior; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D000066477:Work Performance; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aptitude au travail; fiabilité; fitness for duty; normes de performance; performance standard; practice; pratique; reliability