EFFECT OF FIREFIGHTER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON ENERGY EXPENDITURE IN LOW-RISE BUILDING FIRES

Abstract

Fighting fires is a very broad concept that includes fires of: residential structures, crops, grasses innon-agricultural areas, means of transportation, forests, manufacturing facilities, public facilities,storage facilities and many others. The activities performed while fighting fires often require a lot ofphysical effort. Physical fatigue affects the safety of firefighters, as it affects their cognitive abilities,especially in analysing hazard information, and this can lead to accidents during rescue operations.The research was divided into the analysis of the literature and data recorded by the FireDepartment describing rescue operations numerically, the analysis of a questionnaire, askingwhat equipment firefighters used during low-rise building fires, and the subjective assessment ofthe impact of physical preparation on confidence during operations. Then the experiment wasplanned and divided into three basic rescue activities that occur during this type of operation.The respondents self-adjusted the pace of the activities, trying to reflect the actual event, evenlydistributing the forces for further actions. An Energy Expenditure Meter with a mask was used toconduct energy expenditure tests.The results of the study indicate that the physical activity of a State Fire Service officer influences hisenergy expenditure in activities specific to rescue operations performed at low-rise building fires.In addition, the survey results showed that systematic activity can also increase self-confidenceand self-esteem, which will reduce the stress levels associated with firefighters during rescue andfirefighting operations.