Firefighters (FFs) work in hazardous, volatile environments with considerable physical and mental demands that might influence cognitive performance. The nature and extent of such influence requires examination. PURPOSE: Determine the influence of a night-burn FF drill on new-recruit FFs' perceptual sensations (thermal, respiratory, effort), physical workload (heart rate; HR), and cognitive performance (modified Flanker task), while identifying individual risk factors. METHODS: New-recruit, male FFs (N=28; 24.96 ± 4.2 yrs) participated in a live-fire night-burn drill (48:54±03:46 mins) as part of a 6-wk training program. This involved emergency response, fire attack, and search and rescue. Aerobic fitness was estimated from 1.5-mi run time. Cognitive behavioral performance on a modified Flanker task and perceptual states (thermal sensation, RPE, respiratory distress, feelings, felt arousal, fatigue, anxiety) of each FF were measured on a separate baseline day, as well as pre- and post-firefighting (Post-0, End). HR was continuously recorded throughout. RESULTS: After accounting for baseline, M HR during drill predicted variance in post-task affect (state anxiety: 24.5%, P= 0.01); TS: 18.1%, P= 0.025; FS: 14.6%, P= 0.046); VAS nervousness: 17.4%, P= 0.028). M HR during drill also predicted cognitive performance Post-0 for Flanker Accuracy on all trials (16.8%, P= 0.033). FS change from Pre to Post-0 also explained Accuracy for all trials (14.4%, P= 0.047). 1.5-mi run time predicted variance in Post-0 Flanker SD for all trials (20.2%, P= 0.016). VAS fatigue change from Pre to Post-0 also explained Flanker SD (16.5%, P= 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Simple, on-line tracking of HR may be able to help incident commanders recognize FFs who, indicated by greater relative HR during emergency response, may have diminished decision-making capacity on the fireground. Other factors (e.g., trait anxiety, dispositional resilience) may influence physical effort put forth in an emergency scenario and may put certain FFs at higher risk for making errors. Future research should determine trainability of such factors in order to enhance performance and, ultimately, safety for FFs. Manifestation of such changes in cognitive performance, in terms of decision making during a live-fire emergency, needs further investigation.
Firefighting is a strenuous profession requiring adequate levels of fitness for effective job performance. Providing firefighters with a safe and effective fitness program is essential for optimal performance. The purpose of this project was to examine changes in various parameters of physical fitness and firefighter ability following a 7-week high intensity functional training (HIFT) program.Participants were male firefighter recruits (N = 89; age = 27.1 ± 4.2 years, height = 1.78 ± 0.1 m, BMI = 28.1 ± 4.2) enrolled in a Basic Operations Firefighter Academy. Fitness and firefighting ability (via the Academy Firefighter Challenge) were assessed at Weeks 1 and 7 of the Academy.Significant improvements in both fitness and firefighter ability were seen following the HIFT program. Specifically, fitness (BMI, cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance) improved significantly [Hotelling's T2 = 8.98, F(5, 84) = 150.92, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.90]. Firefighter ability also improved significantly [Hotelling's T2 = 3.95, F(7, 88) = 46.26, p < 0.001, η2p = 0.80].Following a 7-week Basic Operations Firefighter Academy that included daily HIFT, significant increases in fitness and firefighting ability were observed. These findings suggest that HIFT appears to be an effective means of improving fitness and firefighting ability in recruit firefighters.
The effects of firefighting (FF) (e.g. heat stress, psychological stress, physical exertion) on cognitive performance are poorly understood. PURPOSE: To add to existing data by (a) examining working memory and cognitive inhibition immediately following ∼52 min of FF activity during a night-burn training drill and (b) determining whether individual difference factors might contribute to any changes. METHODS: 57 male recruit firefighters (M age= 25.5±4.5 yrs; BMI=26.5±5.9 kg·m2; VO2est=44.46±5.2 ml·kg·min-1) completed 4 sessions: 1) resilience and trait anxiety measures; 2) practice and baseline cognitive tests; 3) cognitive testing and VAS-fatigue following Night-burn response (forcible entry, fire attack, search-and-rescue); 4) measures of tolerance for exercise intensity (TOL), perceived fitness (pF), and aerobic fitness (1.5-mile run). Cognitive tests included: inhibition (Flanker task) and working memory (N-back task), assessed ∼5-min post FF; RESULTS: Reaction time (RT) on Flanker Congruent (C) and Incongruent (IC) trials decreased, 466.33 to 442.79 ms (P < 0.001) and 529.59 to 486.99 ms (P< 0.001), respectively. Flanker accuracy (ACC) on IC trials decreased, 89.9 to 86.4% (P= 0.004). Fatigue (VAS-F) increased, 2.2±1.6 to 8.1±1.3 (P< 0.001). Correlations were found between VAS-F and TOL (r= 0.41, P=0.002); pF (r= 0.29, P=0.033); post-Flanker RT (r= 0.28, P=0.034); and post-Flanker SD (r= 0.30, P=0.024). N0, N1, & N2-Target ACC decreased, 96.2 to 92.7% (P= 0.002), 90.0 to 84.7 % (P= 0.022), 81.4 to 79.1% (but, P> 0.05), respectively. TOL was inversely correlated with Flanker ACC on All, C, and IC trials (r= -0.41, P =0.002; r= -0.37, P =0.006; r= -0.36, P =0.008, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive performance was generally faster, but less accurate, following FF activities. Individuals having greater tolerance for intense PA may be physically exerting themselves more in FF scenarios, resulting in greater fatigue and lower accuracy post-FF than those with lower tolerance for intense PA.
High-intensity exercise results in a more negative affective response when compared to moderate- or low-intensity exercise. However, a large number of individuals continue participating in high-intensity exercise, in spite of these declines in affective state. PURPOSE: Determine whether differences exist in exercise-affect for those with higher versus lower exercise intensity preference and/or tolerance. METHODS: Undergraduates (n=245, 20.3±1.7yrs, 23.7±3.8BMI, 60.8% female, 82% regular exercisers) completed the Preference for and Tolerance of Exercise Intensity Questionnaire [Higher-intensity exercise preference, tolerance (HIP, HIT) ≥24; n=155, n=154; lower-intensity preference, tolerance (LIP, LIT) <24; n=45, n=51] along with completing 15-minutes of a high-intensity circuit (HIC), a walk, and a reading condition. Affective valence (via Feeling Scale) was taken prior to, every 3-minutes during, and 20-minutes post (P20) condition, while activity enjoyment was assessed immediately post. RESULTS: Multivariate ANOVAs revealed significant differences (Ps<0.05) for preference-intensity groups in valence during HIC at minutes 3 (HIP=2.4, LIP=1.4; d=0.615), 6 (HIP=2.5, LIP=1.1; d=0.772), 9 (HIP=2.5, LIP=1.2; d=0.659), 12 (HIP=2.3, LIP=0.9; d=0.625), 15 (HIP=2.4, LIP=0.9; d=0.632), and at P20 (HIP=3.1, LIP=2.0; d=0.554), and for enjoyment following HIC (HIP=95.6, LIP=85.3; d=0.545), but not for walking or reading conditions. For those with differing intensity-tolerance levels, differences (Ps<0.05) in exercise-affect were only observed during minutes 3 (HIT=2.4, LIT=1.5; d=0.535) and 6 (HIT=2.3, LIT=1.7; d=0.366), and enjoyment differed following HIC (HIT=95.8, LIT=86.5; d=0.492). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the intensity-preference trait influences how an individual feels during exercise at high-intensity intensity, but is less important during moderate/lower intensities. These differences may be predictive of whether an individual will continue high-intensity exercise programming.
The physical demands of firefighting are evident, and a high level of physical fitness is required to perform the job safely. Despite the clear need for adequate physical fitness, the majority of firefighters (FF) remain unfit for duty. Regular exercise is an effective strategy to prevent/attenuate multiple health risks, as well as improve health and job performance. PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between physical fitness (i.e., cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance) and performance on the Academy FF Challenge (AFC). METHODS: During the first (week 1) and last (week 7) weeks of the FF academy, FF recruits' (n=54; 26.76±4.16 yrs; 100% male) physical fitness and FF ability were assessed. Physical fitness was assessed via cardiovascular endurance (estimated VO2max via 1.5-mile run time) and muscular endurance (60-second sit-ups and push-ups and Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) bench press), while FF ability was assessed via total completion time on the AFC (Keiser Sled, Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus maze, victim drag, hose advance, equipment carry, and ladder set-up). RESULTS: Physical fitness predicted significant variance in FF ability at Week 1 (R2=0.48; P<0.001) and Week 7 (R2=0.47; P<0.001) after accounting for age and BMI. Specifically, cardiovascular endurance accounted for 28.9% (FΔ (3, 50) =22.83) and 36.4% (FΔ (3, 50) =28.70) unique variance, while muscular endurance accounted for 11.4% (FΔ (6, 47) =3.45) and 10.2% (FΔ (6, 47) =3.02) unique variance on FF ability at week 1 and 7, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Firefighting is a challenging occupation that requires these individuals to be in peak physical condition. Targeting FFs early in their careers and highlighting the importance of fitness is extremely vital to developing healthy, safe, and efficient FFs. By better understanding the relationship between physical fitness and firefighting ability, exercise specialists, researchers, and physicians may be able to better prescribe exercise in this population.
Individual differences have been explored with respect to predicting affective responses to exercise. As such, new measures are developed to further understand these relationships and old measures are constantly updated to be more accurate. PURPOSE: Compare two measures of exercise tolerance. METHODS: Participants (N= 268; 154 f; 20.72 ± 1.33 yrs, M±SD) completed the Preference for and Tolerance of Exercise Intensity Questionnaire (PRETIE-Q) and the Physical Activity Acceptance Questionnaire (PAAQ) and then a 15-min high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) session. Affective valence (Feeling Scale; FS) was assessed every 3-min during (average FS during used in analyses) and enjoyment (Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale; PACES) was assessed post exercise. RESULTS: A moderate relationship existed between the PAAQ and PRETIE-Q Tolerance (Tol; r= 0.45; P< 0.001). PAAQ was related to enjoyment (r= 0.21; P= 0.001), but not FS (r= 0.11; P=0 .09). Tol was related to both enjoyment (r= 0.31; P< 0.001) and FS (r= 0.22; P= .001). Using hierarchical regression, PAAQ accounted for 3.8% unique variance in enjoyment (β= 0.199, P= 0.003), after accounting for age, sex and BMI; the addition of Tol explained an additional 6.8% unique variance in enjoyment (β= 0.297, P< 0.001). In a separate regression, Tol explained 10.0% unique variance in enjoyment (β= 0.332, P < 0.001], after accounting for age, sex and BMI; the addition of PAAQ did not explain any additional variance (β= 0.088, P= 0.21). The PAAQ did not account for any variance in FS (β= 0.074, P= 0.28); Tol explained 4.2% unique variance in FS (β= 0.215, P= 0.002), after accounting for age, sex and BMI. CONCLUSION: Comparison of Tol and PAAQ with respect to explaining affective responses revealed a modest relationship. While both explained affective responses, Tol accounted for more variability in such responses. Further, Tol accounted for all variance explained by the PAAQ, while the PAAQ accounted for roughly one third of the variance explained by Tol; with respect to enjoyment. In order to maximize benefits and minimize adverse affective responses to exercise, understanding individual difference factors is crucial. As such, the PRETIE-Q appears to predict affective outcomes of HIIE to a greater extent than the PAAQ.
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.
First responders are often exposed to highly demanding physical and mental situations. Specifically, police officers are required to react quickly and effectively to a wide variety of work related duties and situations. With such physically demanding jobs, it seems instrumental to explore factors that may influence a police officer’s physical capabilities. PURPOSE: Determine the extent to which individual difference factors can predict muscular strength, muscular endurance, and fitness. METHODS: Participants were police recruits (N=239; 215 male; 27.30±5.5 yrs M±SD age) from the University of Illinois Police Training Institute (PTI) who completed baseline fitness assessments [1.5-mi run; 1 rep max (1RM) bench press; 60 sec sit-up and push-up tests] as well as measures of dispositional resilience (with components of Commitment, Control, & Challenge) and preference (Pref) for and tolerance (Tol) of high intensity exercise. RESULTS: Performance on the fitness assessments resulted in: 1.5-mi run time= 12:28±1:25; 1 RM= 111.7±30.3 kg; Sit-ups= 43.6±7.4; Push-ups= 44.9±14.2. After accounting for age and BMI, Pref predicted an additional 5.4% (P= 0.006), 5.5% (P= 0.001), 3.7% (P= 0.003), and 5.9% (P= 0.009) unique variance on the 1.5-mi run test, bench press, sit-up, and push-up tests, respectively. Tol predicted an additional 6.0% variance on the 1.5-mi run test (P= 0.004), after accounting for age and BMI. Challenge accounted for 5.1% unique variance in 1.5-mi run time (P= 0.009), after accounting for age and BMI, and Commitment accounted for 3.4% variance in sit ups (P= 0.042), after accounting for age and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlights the importance individual difference factors play at a fundamental level of fitness in recruit police officers (i.e., accounting for part of variation in physical performance). Preference was able to predict a significant variance in muscular strength, endurance, and overall measures of fitness. As mentioned previously, police officers need to perform their work related duties at an optimal level and further understanding of individual difference factors may help in the recruitment and training of future police officers.
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