Employment standards for Australian urban firefighters. Part 2: The physiological demands and the criterion tasks

RIS ID

103549

Publication Details

Taylor, N. A.S.., Fullagar, H. H. K., Sampson, J. A., Notley, S. R.., Burley, S. D., Lee, D. S. & Groeller, H. Employment standards for Australian urban firefighters. Part 2: The physiological demands and the criterion tasks. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2015; 57 (10): 1072-1082.

Abstract

Objective: The physiological demands of 15 essential, physically demanding fire-fighting tasks were investigated to identify criterion tasks for bona fide recruit selection. Methods: A total of 51 operational firefighters participated in discrete, field-based occupational simulations, with physiological responses measured throughout. Results: The most stressful tasks were identified and classified according to dominant fitness attributes and movement patterns. Three movement classes (single-sided load carriage [5 tasks], dragging loads [4 tasks], and overhead pushing and holding objects [2 tasks]) and one mandatory strength task emerged. Seven criterion tasks were identified. Load holding and carriage dominated these movement patterns, yet no task accentuated whole-body endurance. Conclusion: Material handling movements from each classification must appear within a physical aptitude (selection) test for it to adequately represent the breadth of tasks performed by Australian urban firefighters.

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000526