Assessment on the performance of hand pumps for forest fire suppression based on operator's heart rate and water spraying efficiency.

Hand pump is one of the most widely used portable machines for controlling forest fires.During the process,operators bear heavy physiological load because of the load of water bag and water spraying pressure,which is caused by water gun frequently.Therefore,it is important to optimize the design for geometrical parameters of human-machine interface of hand pump.Based on heart rate,subjective assessment,water-spraying rate and water-spraying distance,this paper assesses the performance of three types of representative hand pumps.Variance analysis indicated that pump type,water gun-holding posture and water spraying frequency had significant effects on heart rate.Heart rate was the highest for pump 1,which is made in the USA and the lowest for pump 3,which is made in Canada.While walking with a water bag on the back,heart rate was the highest for pump 1 and the lowest for pump 2,which is made in China.The water spraying efficiency of pump 3 was the highest,and it was the lowest for pump 1.The water spraying distance of pump1 was the longest,and that of pump 2 was the shortest. It is concluded that pump 3 and pump 1 are the most and least favorable,respectively.Based on a comprehensive analysis on the tested three hand pumps,the best design model should combine the water gun of pump 3 with the water bag of pump 2.