Perception and reality: re-entry into fire scenes should be subject to physiological monitoring — ASN Events
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Perception and reality: re-entry into fire scenes should be subject to physiological monitoring (#58)

Anthony Walker 1 2 , Ben Rattray 1
  1. Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT
  2. ACT Fire & Rescue, Canberra, ACT

Introduction:

Australian firefighters work in hot environments, wearing heavy, impermeable protective equipment (PPE). Protracted incidents regularly see firefighters re-entering fire affected structures multiple times separated by short, unstructured recovery periods. Re-entry protocols currently rely solely on individual perceptions of wellbeing. It is unclear whether this method of risk mitigation is appropriate. Thus, this study aimed to compare perceptual with physiological responses in firefighters when they work in the heat.

Methods:

Seventy-seven urban firefighters (38.9 ± 9.0 years, 180.0 ± 10.0 cm and 84.3 ± 9.3 kg) completed two 20-minute work tasks in a heat chamber (105 ± 5 °C), separated by a 10-minute recovery interval where they removed their jackets and consumed 600 millilitres of water. Core temperatures (Tc) and skin temperatures (Tsk) along with perceptual measures including rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and Thermal Sensation (TS) were measured at 5-minute intervals as well as the conclusion of the recovery period.

Results:

Mean Tc was 38.0 ± 1.3 °C at the end of the first 20-minute simulation and climbed to 38.3 ± 0.5 °C at the conclusion of the 10-minute seated recovery period. Tsk was not significantly different between 20-minute simulations, however, along with RPE and TS, dropped significantly during the 10-minute recovery period (p<0.001) independent of an ongoing rise in Tc.

Discussion:

The strong relationship between Tsk and perceptual data likely resulted from localised cooling following PPE removal and subsequent exposure to a cooler environment, despite Tc continuing to rise to levels approaching safe limits. In the absence of reliable physiological monitoring during emergency responses, it is likely that firefighters are re-entering fire scenes with increasing Tc, likely leading to premature fatigue and reduced ability to safely complete work tasks. We recommend that appropriate monitoring of physiological strain be considered for use in long-duration firefighting events.

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