Last year, the Fire Industry Education Resource Organization (F.I.E.R.O.), in conjunction with North Carolina State University, conducted a national survey to help provide background information to enable a research study on heat strain suffered by firefighters.
The research project will not be completed for another couple of years, but the survey provided an interesting look (probably for the first time) at what we wear when responding to and mitigating emergency incidents.
DEMOGRAPHICS
Almost 3,500 firefighters responded to the survey—if you were one, thank you. Here is a brief description of the demographics. Of the respondents, 55 percent were career firefighters, 21 percent were from combination departments, 20 percent were volunteers, and four percent were other (government, military, etc.). The ranks of the respondents were 41 percent firefighter, 32 percent company officer, 20 percent chief officer, and seven percent other (administrative, etc.). The geographic region of the participants was heavily Northeast (25 percent) and Southeast (25 percent). The North Central had 14 percent, with the Northwest, Southwest, South Central, and Midatlantic each having between five and nine percent. From that geographic distribution, 79 percent said they worked in a hot and humid environment. This was followed by 13 percent saying they worked in a hot and dry environment, and the rest saying they worked in either a temperate/humid or temperate/dry environment.
SCENE ACTIVITIES
The most common type of working fire encountered was a single-family dwelling (90 percent). One of the more interesting results of the survey was what firefighters say is the most physically demanding activity they perform. Eleven different activities were listed, and the top three of search and rescue, nozzle operator, and carrying hose up the stairs were closely grouped at the top. Not far back were vertical ventilation, backing up the nozzle operator, and providing slack to the nozzle operator. Overhaul and vehicle extrication finished ahead of horizontal ventilation, hydrant operator, and salvage.
DURING THE RESPONSE
It was no surprise to learn that most firefighters wear long pants and a short-sleeved T-shirt under their turnout gear (45 percent). This was followed by 26 percent who wore shorts and long-sleeved shirts. One question was about where personal protective equipment (PPE) is stored prior to a response. Next to the vehicle was the highest response with 37 percent, followed by in the apparatus at 29 percent, then on a rack or in a locker at 20 percent, and 12 percent keep it in their personal vehicle—probably volunteer firefighters. Eighty-two percent of the respondents said the PPE was not stored in a climate-controlled environment. (This leads to increased heat strain.) Seventy-five percent of the firefighters indicated they felt the cooling effects of the cab air-conditioning. Of this 75 percent, the impact of the cooling ranged from a little bit to very much.
The answers about what you don before getting into the apparatus were fairly consistent. Pants and boots are donned by 90 percent, coats are donned by 79 percent, and the hood (around the neck) by 78 percent. It was inter