Firefighters during training as divers: physiologic and psychomental stresses.

Introduction: Fire departments (FD) train divers for search, rescue, and recovery in and under water. Their tasks likely exert major physical and psychological stress. Hypothesis: The training is well balanced, following a learning spiral.Methods/Participants: Seven firefighters participated and performed 272 dives in different waters. Measurements: Pulmonary function (body-plethysmography). During dives: heart rate and air consumption; personality variables with State/Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and psychological stress with Task Load Index (NASA_TLX).Results: Pulmonary function was maintained at the end of training dives. During the dives mean HR was 108±23min-1 and mean air consumption 37±15l/min. Both values remained unchanged during the training.The three highest STAI stanines (severe trait anxiety) were not considered at all, but median stanines and very low values were overrepresented. The demands within the seven NASA_TLX areas were perceived differently. The sum of the scales 'very low', 'low', and 'mean' was ≥60%. In turn, the scale 'very high' was in none of the demands ˃10%.Summary/Conclusion: Physiological values remained unaltered throughout the training, i.e. workload and increase in competence properly matched. The moderate manifestation of psycho-mental stress speaks for a group of highly selected individuals. Both selection of candidates and design of the learning spiral was successful.