Abstract
Physical fitness is an important aspect of physical health and wellbeing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 11-weeks of formal strength and conditioning training conducted during fire academy training on the physical fitness characteristics of firefighter trainees. Archived physical fitness data for 23 male fire academy trainees (age: 27.6 ± 4.3 y; height: 178.5 ± 6.9 cm; body mass [BM]: 83.9 ± 1.8 kg; BM index [BMI]: 26.8 ± 2.8 kg/m2) were analyzed for this study. These data included vertical jump height, maximum pull-up repetitions, hand grip strength, lower-body strength (3RM Hexbar) and aerobic fitness. Trainees performed three sessions per week (two resistance training sessions and one aerobic conditioning session) in addition to fire academy training. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant (p < 0.05) pre-post decreases in BM and BMI and significant increases in upper- and lower-body strength, and aerobic fitness. Strength and conditioning programs are beneficial for improving firefighter trainees’ physical fitness even when run concurrently with fire academy training and with limited space and equipment. This increased fitness may aid in mitigating known occupational injury risks to this population and improve task performance.
Highlights
As part of their normal occupational duties, firefighters perform physically and cognitively demanding work while enduring extremely high temperatures (i.e., 155 ◦C or greater) [1]
Effect sizes ranged from small (BM, Pull-up and HexBar 1RM) through moderate (HexBar relative) to large (BMI and 20 m multi-stage fitness test (20MSFT))
These results provide evidence that an 11-week strength and conditioning program with minimal resistance training equipment, in conjunction with standard fire academy training, can elicit significant changes in physical fitness among firefighter trainees, and in turn prepare them for their careers as fire fighters
Summary
As part of their normal occupational duties, firefighters perform physically and cognitively demanding work while enduring extremely high temperatures (i.e., 155 ◦C or greater) [1]. Many tasks performed by firefighters, such as carrying heavy tools, victim rescues, pulling objects upwards, and working with heavy objects that may exceed 60 kg, require adequate levels of strength and muscle endurance if they are to be performed safely and successfully [2,3,4]. While performing these tasks, firefighters must wear personal protective equipment (PPE) that can weigh upwards of 22 kg to maintain personal safety [1,2]. This requirement is further made evident given that musculoskeletal injuries in the firefighter’s workplace are most often caused by ‘muscle bending, lifting and squatting, or muscle stressing’ [8]
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