Mid-season physical fitness profile of interagency hotshot firefighters
Katie M. Sell A C and Bequi Livingston B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Health Professions and Kinesiology, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA.
B USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Regional Office, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA.
C Corresponding author. Email: Katie.Sell@hofstra.edu
International Journal of Wildland Fire 21(6) 773-777 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF11071
Submitted: 18 May 2011 Accepted: 1 March 2012 Published: 9 July 2012
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to generate a physical fitness profile of an interagency hotshot crew mid-way through the wildland fire season. Twenty interagency hotshot crew firefighters completed measures of body composition, aerobic fitness, hamstring flexibility, muscular strength, explosive strength and muscular endurance. Firefighters exhibited 12.9 ± 2.3% body fat, scored 9.4 ± 0.4 min on the 1.5-mile (2.41 km) run, 48.8 ± 5.3 cm on the sit-and-reach test, 63.7 ± 8.2 kg and 58.7 ± 7.6 kg for right- and left-hand grip strength, and 55.9 ± 9.9 cm on the vertical jump. Firefighters scored 45 ± 12 for push-ups, 60 ± 6 for sit-ups and 13 ± 4 for pull-ups. All fitness scores were at or above average compared with sex- and age-corrected norms, and interagency hotshot crew-specific recommendations for completion of the 1.5-mile run, push-up, sit-up and pull-up tests. Although these data provide a cross-sectional gauge of mid-season fitness parameters, it is unclear how the occupational stresses of the job alter common measures of fitness in interagency hotshot crews. Future research may help highlight seasonal fluctuations in physical fitness, and the effect of physical fitness training on fitness parameters throughout the fire season.
Additional keywords: hotshot crews, training programs, wildland firefighters.
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