Abstract
Firefighters and military personnel employ multiple backpack designs for carrying air tanks along with other heavy gear for occupational purposes. As the load increases, the biomechanical and physi...
Highlights
Firefighters and other professionals encounter harsh environments requiring personal protective clothing (PPC) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to protect themselves while completing physically demanding tasks
The research work in this paper addresses human factors and injury risks for firefighters while carrying heavy SCBA
No differences in heart rates (HRs) in a firefighting exercise were reported by firefighters wearing, light, or heavy SCBAs as HRs plateaued 90 to 100% of maximum during the exercise regardless of SCBA weight (Manning & Griggs, 1983)
Summary
Firefighters and other professionals encounter harsh environments requiring personal protective clothing (PPC) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to protect themselves while completing physically demanding tasks. The weight of the PPC and SCBA and load location of the SCBA have detrimental effects in work demands, mobility, and comfort (Bakri et al, 2012; Coca, Kim, Duffy, & Williams, 2011; Dreger, Jones, & Petersen, 2006; Duggan, 1988; Griefahn, Künemund, & Bröde, 2003; Hooper, Crawford, & Thomas, 2001). Lighter and redesigned SCBAs improve mobility, comfort, and function (Bakri et al, 2012; Coca et al, 2011; Griefahn et al, 2003; Hooper et al, 2001). Reducing weight of a traditional cylinder-shaped SCBA has been shown to have a significant effect on physiological response and comfort (Hooper et al, 2001). A lightweight low profile SCBA designed with blow molded linings and a kevlar-coating increased range of motion, comfort, and delayed fatigue during firefighter field exercises (Coca et al, 2011)
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