The physiological demand of pulling a rescue sled across the mud and the impact experience has on this task.

BACKGROUND To establish a Physical Employment Standard for tasks with high physical demands, it is important to determine the physiological requirements. One such task for the UK Coastguard is mud rescue. OBJECTIVE To quantify the physiological demand of pulling a rescue sled across estuary mud, and determine whether rescuer experience has an impact on the physiological demand of this task. METHODS Forty participants walked 150 m in 3 minutes across estuary mud. Following 3 minute rest, they walked 150 m pulling a rescue sled (61 kg) in pairs (based on experience). RESULTS Experienced rescuers had a total oxygen consumption approximately 24% lower than those inexperienced in the task. Relative oxygen consumption (V̇O2) was significantly (p < 0.05) greater in the non-experienced (mean [SD]; 42.90 [6.55] mL.kg-1.min-1) compared to the experienced group (32.85 [5.79] mL.kg-1.min-1) when controlled for pace. Required V̇O2 for various speeds were predicted based on non-experienced participants and assessed for agreement. LoA (95%) mean±difference was 0.0003 ± 3.48 mL.kg-1.min-1, with a CV of 2.30%. CONCLUSIONS For tasks that require a high relative V̇O2, such as mud rescue, the minimum level of fitness at entry should be based upon the metabolic demands measured on those who are inexperienced.

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