Abstract

Firefighting is a dangerous occupation and even training carries substantial risks. Self-contained breathing apparatus confidence courses (SCBACC) are a common type of training. PurposeCompare the physiological strain of SCBACC to live-fire training (LFT) and circuit training (CT) among academy cadets. MethodsCadets wore physiologic status monitors to assess heart rate (HR) and estimated core temperature (ECT) during CT, LFT, and SCBACC of similar duration (33–38 min). ResultsData from 52 cadet firefighters (28 ± 4 yrs old) were analyzed. ECT (38.6 ± 0.4 vs 39.3 ± 0.7 vs. 39.3 ± 0.6ᵒC), peak HR (182.6 ± 9.1 vs. 192.7 ± 9.5 vs 195.9 ± 9.6 bpm), and age-predicted maximal HR (APMHR%; 94.6 ± 4.6 vs 99.9 ± 4.9 vs. 101.5 ± 4.8%) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower for CT than SCBACC and LFT, respectively. ConclusionsSCBACC produced physiological strain greater than CT and similar to LFT. SCBACC resulted in sustained HR at 100% of age-predicted maximal values, a peak ECT of 39.3 °C, and should be considered as physiologically stressful as LFT.

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