Multiple days of heat exposure on firefighters’ work performance and physiology

Article


Larsen, Brianna, Snow, Rod, Vincent, Grace, Tran, Jacqueline, Wolkow, Alexander and Aisbett, Brad. 2015. "Multiple days of heat exposure on firefighters’ work performance and physiology." PLoS One. 10 (9), pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136413
Article Title

Multiple days of heat exposure on firefighters’ work performance and physiology

ERA Journal ID39745
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsLarsen, Brianna (Author), Snow, Rod (Author), Vincent, Grace (Author), Tran, Jacqueline (Author), Wolkow, Alexander (Author) and Aisbett, Brad (Author)
Journal TitlePLoS One
Journal Citation10 (9), pp. 1-16
Article Numbere0136413
Number of Pages16
Year2015
PublisherPublic Library of Science (PLoS)
Place of PublicationUnited States
ISSN1932-6203
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0136413
Abstract

This study assessed the accumulated effect of ambient heat on the performance of, and physiological and perceptual responses to, intermittent, simulated wildfire fighting tasks over three consecutive days. Firefighters (n = 36) were matched and allocated to either the CON (19°C) or HOT (33°C) condition. They performed three days of intermittent, self-paced simulated firefighting work, interspersed with physiological testing. Task repetitions were counted (and converted to distance or area) to determine work performance. Participants were asked to rate their perceived exertion and thermal sensation after each task. Heart rate, core temperature (Tc), and skin temperature (Tsk) were recorded continuously throughout the simulation. Fluids were consumed ad libitum. Urine volume was measured throughout, and urine specific gravity (USG) analysed, to estimate hydration. All food and fluid consumption was recorded. There was no difference in work output between experimental conditions. However, significant variation in performance responses between individuals was observed. All measures of thermal stress were elevated in the HOT, with core and skin temperature reaching, on average, 0.24 ± 0.08°C and 2.81 ± 0.20°C higher than the CON group. Participants’ doubled their fluid intake in the HOT condition, and this was reflected in the USG scores, where the HOT participants reported significantly lower values. Heart rate was comparable between conditions at nearly all time points, however the peak heart rate reached each circuit was 7 ± 3% higher in the CON trial. Likewise, RPE was slightly elevated in the CON trial for the majority of tasks. Participants’ work output was comparable between the CON and HOT conditions, however the performance change over time varied significantly between individuals. It is likely that the increased fluid replacement in the heat, in concert with frequent rest breaks and task rotation, assisted with the regulation of physiological responses (e.g., heart rate, core temperature).

Keywordslongitudinal data; project aquarius; exercise; stress; models; temperature; ingestion; exertion; bushfire; caffeine
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020420702. Exercise physiology
350505. Occupational and workplace health and safety
Public Notes

Copyright: © 2015 Larsen et al. This is an open
access article distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any
medium, provided the original author and source are
credited.

Byline AffiliationsDeakin University
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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