Comparison of active cooling devices with passive cooling for rehabilitation of firefighters performing exercise in thermal protective clothing: a report from the Fireground Rehab Evaluation (FIRE) trial.

Background: Thermal protective clothing (TPC) worn by firefighters provides considerable protection from the external environment during structural fire suppression. However, TPC is associated with physiologic derangements that may have adverse cardiovascular consequences. These derangements should be treated during on-scene rehabilitation periods.

Comparison of rehydration regimens for rehabilitation of firefighters performing heavy exercise in thermal protective clothing: a report from the fireground rehab evaluation (FIRE) trial.

Background: Performing fire suppression activities results in cardiovascular stress, hyperthermia, and hypohydration. Fireground rehabilitation (rehab) is recommended to blunt the deleterious effects of these conditions.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that three rehydration fluids provided after exercise while wearing thermal protective clothing (TPC) would produce different heart rate or core temperature responses during a second bout of exercise in TPC.