VALIDATION OF A PHYSICAL WORK PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FOR INCUMBENT FIREFIGHTERS

BY DARRELL MENDENHALL, MS; STEVEN MOFFATT, MD; TISCH WILLIAMS, MA; MIKE REEVES; JAMES GREESON; C. SHAWN SHELTON, BA; HOWARD STAHL; TERRELL W. ZOLLINGER, DRHP; ROBERT M. SAYWELL JR., PH.D., MPH; and CAROLYN MUEGGE, MS, MPH

Intense physical exertion is an occupational hazard inherent to firefighting. Since the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) began reporting line-of-duty injury and fatality data in 1977, heart attack has been the leading cause of death, accounting for approximately half of all firefighter fatalities. In nearly all cases, these fatal heart attacks have been directly attributed to stress and overexertion. These data indicate that firefighters are regularly confronted with situations demanding levels of sustained physical effort often exceeding their physical working capacities, thus resulting in stress, overexertion, and heart attack.

正如死亡率统计数据的支持下，心肺健康被广泛接受为消防员在执行其工作职责时的健康，安全和绩效的关键必要条件。为此，美国各地的消防部门已经实施了身体健康计划，其中包括心肺健身评估。尽管这种类型的评估提供了有关消防员心脏呼吸疾病适应性的信息，但它可能并不是消防员是否可以执行特定于消防员的任务的完美指示。但是，尽管体育绩效评估可以确定消防员是否可以执行一组确定的关键基本消防员任务，但它几乎没有关于以合理的安全性执行他们进行的心脏探索能力的见解。为了更好地解决这个问题，重要的是，在执行实际的消防员任务或密切模拟任务时对可能的消防员进行生理评估。