LAY SUMMARY Firefighting involves a high level of physical exertion with tremendous demands on the heart and body. It is necessary to quantify levels of physical work exertion in firefighting to set physical fitness standards firefighters need to meet to improve performance, efficiency, and possibly decrease injury risks. Researchers need to focus on and develop exercise programs that are specific to firefighters so that they can be prepared and able to do their work safely.
Introduction: Firefighting involves a high level of physical exertion with tremendous physiological demands on the cardiorespiratory system. It is necessary to quantify levels of physical work exertion in firefighting to set the physical fitness standards that firefighters need to meet to improve their performance and task efficiency and possibly decrease injury risks. Therefore, the aim of this review was to provide a pooled estimate of the physiological demands of simulated firefighting tasks. Methods: The authors searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science from April 1999 until April 2019. Prospective or retrospective cross-sectional cohort studies of career and professional firefighters or healthy participants in Canada were identified and critically appraised. Physiological demands included percentages of maximum heart rate (%HR max ) and maximal oxygen consumption (%VO 2max ). The authors extracted the following data: author, year, country, study population, sample size, physiological variables, study type, and description of the simulated firefighting task or tasks undertaken. The STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines were used to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the included studies. Results: Ten eligible studies were included with a total of 492 participants. The pooled estimates for %HR max were 86.0% (six studies, 296 participants; 95% CI, 82.0-90.0). Subgroup analysis by sex indicated random pooled estimates of 86.0% for men (three studies, 75 male participants; 95% CI, 79.0-92.0) and 87.0% for women (three studies, 49 female participants; 95% CI, 79.0-94.0). Regarding %VO 2max (ml/kg/min) demands during the simulated firefighting tasks, a random pooled estimate of 65.0% (four studies, 210 participants; 95% CI, 59.0-71.0) was reported. Discussion: Simulated firefighting tasks are physiologically demanding. The development of firefighter-specific strength and conditioning programs, with regular monitoring, is warranted.