Abstract:
Firefighters wear personal protective equipment to protect them from the thermal and chemical environment in which they operate. The self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) provides isolation of the airway from the hazardous fireground. National standards limit SCBA weight, however, integration of additional features could result in an SCBA exceeding the current limit. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of increased SCBA weight on firefighters\' physiological responses, work output, dynamic stability, and comfort. Completion of simulated firefighting activities induced a strong physiological response. Peak oxygen consumption was higher with the lightest SCBA than the heaviest SCBA. Few other physiological differences were noted as SCBA weight increased. Importantly, increased SCBA weight resulted in significantly more negative perceptions by the firefighters and a trend towards significance for the duration of work time prior to reaching volitional fatigue. These results should be considered when assessing changes to existing SCBA weight limits.
Increased SCBA weight above existing national standards resulted in negative perceptions by the firefighters, but not significant physiological changes after two simulated bouts of firefighting activity. SCBA weight had a nearly significant impact on the time firefighters worked before reaching volitional fatigue, with heavier SCBA trending towards decreased working time.
摘要:
消防员佩戴个人防护设备,以保护他们免受其操作的热和化学环境的影响。自给式呼吸设备(SCBA)提供了气道与危险火场的隔离。国家标准限制SCBA重量,然而,其他功能的集成可能会导致SCBA超过电流限制。这项研究的目的是检查SCBA重量增加对消防员生理反应的影响,工作输出,动态稳定性,和舒适。模拟消防活动的完成引起了强烈的生理反应。最轻的SCBA的峰值耗氧量高于最重的SCBA。随着SCBA重量的增加,几乎没有其他生理差异。重要的是,SCBA重量的增加导致消防员的负面看法明显更多,并且在达到自愿疲劳之前的工作时间具有显著性趋势。在评估现有SCBA重量限制的变化时,应考虑这些结果。
超过现有国家标准的SCBA重量增加导致消防员的负面看法,但在两次模拟的消防活动后,生理变化不明显。SCBA体重对消防员在达到自愿疲劳之前的工作时间产生了几乎重大的影响,较重的SCBA趋向于减少工作时间。