Fitness Fights Fires: Exploring the Relationship between Physical Fitness and Firefighter Ability.

Annmarie Chizewski,Steven J Petruzzello,Allyson Box,Richard Kesler

doi:10.3390/ijerph182211733

Abstract

Background: Regular exercise in firefighters may be effective in preventing or attenuating ill health (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and obesity), as well as improving their firefighting ability. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and firefighting ability. Methods: Male firefighter recruits’ (n = 89; age = 27.1 ± 4.2 yrs) physical fitness and firefighting ability were assessed at Week 1 and Week 7 during a basic firefighting training academy. Physical fitness was assessed via 1.5 mile run time, sit-up and push-up repetitions, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) bench press test, vertical jump height, and sit-and-reach flexibility, while firefighting ability was assessed via completion time on a firefighting skills test. Results: Fitness predicted significant variance in firefighting ability at Week 1 (R2 = 0.46; p < 0.01) and Week 7 (R2 = 0.46; p < 0.01), after accounting for age and body mass index. Cardiovascular endurance accounted for 22.4% (FΔ (1, 85) = 25.75) and 39.3% (FΔ (1, 85) = 55.53) while muscular endurance accounted for an additional 19.0% (FΔ (3, 82) = 10.34) and 6.3% (FΔ (3, 82) = 3.2) unique variance in firefighting ability at Week 1 and Week 7, respectively. Conclusions: Given the strong association between fitness and firefighting performance, municipal departments may want to focus on increasing fitness levels among firefighters.

Highlights

At Week 7, significant relationships were revealed between cardiovascular endurance (r = −0.53, p ≤ 0.01), bench press (r = −0.40, p ≤ 0.01), and sit-ups (r = −0.27, p ≤ 0.05) and total firefighting ability
Cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, and power were significantly correlated with firefighting ability assessed via the AFC during
The present study provides evidence that multiple components of physical fitness are associated with better performance on simulated fire-ground activities

Summary

Introduction

Despite the physical strain firefighting places on the men and women who choose this profession, the vast majority of career and volunteer firefighters fail to maintain the needed levels of physical fitness to function safely and efficiently while on duty [1,2,3,4,5]. While they can perform the tasks necessary for the job, the additional strain experienced due to their lack of fitness could lead to deleterious health outcomes over time. Conclusions: Given the strong association between fitness and firefighting performance, municipal departments may want to focus on increasing fitness levels among firefighters

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Discussion

Conclusion