Strategies for Improving Firefighter Health On-Shift: A Review.

The fire service suffers from high rates of cardiovascular disease and poor overall health, and firefighters often suffer fatal and non-fatal injuries while on the job. Most fatal injuries result from sudden cardiac death, while non-fatal injuries are to the musculoskeletal system. Previous works suggest a mechanistic link between several health and performance variables and injury risk.

Characteristics of slow and fast performers on a firefighter air consumption test.

An air consumption test (ACT) is a physical ability test used in the fire service. The purpose of this study was to compare demographics and physiological differences between slow versus fast performers on an ACT. 160 career firefighters had air consumption, total task time, body mass index (BMI), peak heart rate (HR), body fat percentage (BF%), and oxygen consumption (VO) measured.

Climbing the Ranks: A Study of Firefighter Health Disparities.

The fire service command structure encompasses recruit, incumbent firefighter, and officer positions. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of rank (recruits, incumbent firefighters, and officers) on health and physical ability characteristics within the fire service. Retrospective data from thirty-seven recruits (age = 29 ± 5 yrs, BMI = 26.

Subclinical Cardiac Dysfunction is Associated with Reduced Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Firefighters.

Background: Past studies have documented the ability of cardiopulmonary exercise testing to detect cardiac dysfunction in symptomatic patients with coronary artery disease. Firefighters are at high risk for work-related cardiac events. This observational study investigated the association of subclinical cardiac dysfunction detected by cardiopulmonary exercise testing with modifiable cardiometabolic risk factors in asymptomatic firefighters.

Preparing for renal replacement therapy in patients with the Ebola virus disease.

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a serious illness characterized by fever, severe vomiting and diarrhea, and, in severe cases, multi-organ failure requiring mechanical ventilation and renal replacement therapy. The current outbreak has centered in West Africa and affected over 15,000 individuals. EVD is transmitted by direct contact with blood or other infectious bodily fluid, and as such, numerous heath care workers caring for patients with EVD have become infected.