Fighting Fires Without Falling: Effects of Equipment Design and Fatigue on Firefighter's Balance and Gait

Abstract

Slips, trips, and falls are a major cause of firefighter injuries. We examine how factors associated with the individual firefighter, specific tasks involved in firefighting, and the environment relate to the incidence of slips, trips, and falls. We also review our own research examining how aspects of firefighting gear and fatigue influence the balance and gait of firefighters performing common fire fighting tasks. Our results suggest that larger, heavier air cylinders that are part of the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) is associated with declines in balance and gait performance. Unfortunately, many firefighting departments use these heavier cylinders because they are inexpensive. We also found that wearing personal protective equipment decreases standard gait parameters associated with poorer overall gait performance. Fatigue induced by twenty minutes of simulated firefighting activity lead to an increase in movement errors that may increase slip, trip and fall risk. The importance of studying perception and action in real world tasks is discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This article is dedicated to the memory of Herbert L. Pick, Jr., whose research and teaching have served as inspiration for researchers studying perception and action in real-world situations. We thank Pilwon Hur and Kiwon Park for helping with the research described in this article.

FUNDING

The research described in this article was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (EMW-2006-FP-02459).