Kesler Richard M, Powell Jeffrey, Nguyen Dac, Massey Kristen A, Joshi Sarthak, Xu Susan, Zhuang Ziqing, Horn Gavin P, Burd Nicholas A, Masoud Farzaneh
Fire Safety Research Institute, UL Research Institutes, Columbia, MD, USA.
Fire Service Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA.
Ergonomics. 2025 Apr;68(4):557-570. doi: 10.1080/00140139.2024.2375026. Epub 2024 Jul 7.
Firefighters wear personal protective equipment to protect them from the thermal and chemical environment in which they operate. The self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) provides isolation of the airway from the hazardous fireground. National standards limit SCBA weight, however, integration of additional features could result in an SCBA exceeding the current limit. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of increased SCBA weight on firefighters' physiological responses, work output, dynamic stability, and comfort. Completion of simulated firefighting activities induced a strong physiological response. Peak oxygen consumption was higher with the lightest SCBA than the heaviest SCBA. Few other physiological differences were noted as SCBA weight increased. Importantly, increased SCBA weight resulted in significantly more negative perceptions by the firefighters and a trend towards significance for the duration of work time prior to reaching volitional fatigue. These results should be considered when assessing changes to existing SCBA weight limits.
消防员穿戴个人防护装备，以保护自己免受他们工作所处的热和化学环境的伤害。自给式呼吸器（SCBA）可使气道与危险的火场隔离开来。国家标准对SCBA的重量有规定限制，然而，增加其他功能可能会导致SCBA超出当前限制。本研究的目的是检验SCBA重量增加对消防员生理反应、工作输出、动态稳定性和舒适度的影响。完成模拟灭火活动会引发强烈的生理反应。最轻的SCBA的峰值耗氧量高于最重的SCBA。随着SCBA重量增加，几乎没有观察到其他生理差异。重要的是，SCBA重量增加导致消防员的负面感受明显增多，并且在达到自愿性疲劳之前的工作时间持续方面有显著趋势。在评估对现有SCBA重量限制的更改时，应考虑这些结果。
