Maximal physical work performance with European standard based fire-protective clothing system and equipment in relation to individual characteristics

Every fire fighter needs to wear fire-protective clothing and a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) several times a year while carrying out various fire-fighting and rescue operations in hazardous work environments. The aim of the present study was to quantify the effects of a multilayer turnout suit designed to fulfil European standard EN 469 used over standardized (Nordic) clothing and with SCBA (total mass 25.9 kg) on maximal physical work performance, and to evaluate the relationship between individual characteristics and power output with the fire-protective clothing system and SCBA. The subjects were 12 healthy firemen aged 26–46 years. The range of their body mass, body fat and maximal oxygen consumption was 69–101 kg, 10–20% and 2.70–5.86 1·min−1, respectively. The maximal tests without (control) and with the fire-protective clothing system and SCBA were carried out on a treadmill in a thermoneutral environment. When compared to the control test, the decrease in the maximal power output in terms of maximal working time and walking speed averaged 25% (P < 0.001) varying from 18% to 34% with the fire-protective clothing system and SCBA. At maximum, no significant differences were found in pulmonary ventilation, absolute oxygen consumption, the respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, the rate-pressure product, mechanical efficiency, and the rating of perceived exertion between the tests with and without the fire-protective clothing system and SCBA. The reduction of the power output was related to the extra mass of the fire protective clothing and SCBA. In this study, robust build and parameters associated with good anaerobic capacity were the most powerful individual characteristics contributing to the smallest drop in the power output with the fire-protective clothing system and SCBA. All possible means to decrease the mass of both the fire-protective clothing system and SCBA for maintaining the sufficient power output in physically demanding fire-fighting and rescue tasks need to be considered.