Abstract
Firefighters are required to maintain all aspects of their health and wellness in order to sustain their fitness for duty. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been used as a reliable tool when assessing the stressors placed on firefighters, be it physical, emotional, or psychological. This review determined the usefulness of using HRV as a tool to determine the physical, physiological, and psychological health of firefighters at a more regular and frequent scale. HRV is a versatile technology with a plethora of uses, particularly in monitoring the cardiovascular strain as a result of firefighting and recovery post-fire suppression. In addition, the literature showed that HRV could be used to successfully monitor physical fitness, physiological stress, psychological stress, decision making, risk taking behavior and recovery in firefighters. The use of mobile technology measuring HRV may be used to successfully assess firefighter occupational performance. In future research, longitudinal studies investigating HRV use in firefighters are warranted.
TopIntroduction And Background
All over the world, firefighting is a hazardous occupation that involves firefighters risking their lives in life-threatening situations, where they are exposed to severe temperatures, hazardous chemicals and fumes (Shin, Lee, Yang, Lee, & Chung, 2016; Smith, Barr, & Kales, 2013). This chapter reports on how mobile technology is used to assess and track firefighters’ fitness for duty. New media can be crucial to aid self-monitoring and could help with setting fitness exercise behavioral goals. Tracking and monitoring fitness exercise activity done through the use of portable and wearable devices like smart watches, fitness straps, as well as portable ECGs can all aid to monitor heart rate variability, but also help with exercise goal setting and fitness goal attainment (Bugajska, Zużewicz, Szmauz-Dybko, & Konarska, 2007; Chandel, Sharma, Kaur, Singh, & Kumar, 2021; Henriksen et al., 2018). This chapter reports on the applicability of these devices in determining firefighters at risk of poor physical fitness, cardiovascular disease, and psychological stress as they prepare for work in severe circumstances.
The dangerous conditions in which firefighters find themselves during emergency situations necessitate that firefighters’ wear protective clothing and rescue equipment that is heavy and insulated, putting tremendous strain on the cardiovascular system (Smith, DeBlois, Kales, & Horn, 2016). Apart from extinguishing fires, firefighters also have additional strenuous work duties such as rescuing people in dangerous situations, performing emergency medical services, while working irregular hours and performing administrative tasks (Feairheller, 2015; Shin et al., 2016). These types of strenuous working conditions cause high levels of physical and mental stress, predisposing these individuals to higher risk of cardiovascular disease or sudden cardiac events (S. S. Al-Zaiti & Carey, 2015; Feairheller, 2015; Shin et al., 2016). Firefighters are required to maintain all aspects of their health and wellness in order to sustain their fitness for duty. Hence, underscoring the value of incorporating wearable and mobile devices to aid tracking and goal setting in this regard.
Firefighters who are not fit for duty are predisposed to significant morbidity and mortality, both on and off duty (Farioli et al., 2014; Smith et al., 2013, 2019; Smith, DeBlois, et al., 2016). In addition, firefighters are required to make life and death decisions while on duty, and their judgement may be negatively affected by undue physical and psychological stress (Clifford, Jung, Hoerrnann, Billinqhurst, & Lindeman, 2019; Jeklin et al., 2021; Prell et al., 2020). Cardiovascular measures, such as resting heart rate (RHR) and heart rate variability (HRV) are reported as significant predictors of cardiovascular diseases, specifically high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, diagnosis of diabetes within 12 years, and early mortality in firefighters (Wulsin, Horn, Perry, Massaro, & D’Agostino, 2015). An alarmingly high number of firefighters were found to have abnormal HRV readings, which identifies those at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or sudden cardiac death (SCD) (S. Al-Zaiti, Rittenberger, Reis, & Hostler, 2015; Jeklin et al., 2021; Prell et al., 2020; Yook, 2019). The usefulness in monitoring of HRV and other psychophysiological measures with mobile technology highlight the need to better leverage new media portable technological devices that can aid in the monitoring of physiological data that can deliver associative data in this regard.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Physical Stress: A feeling of physical tension originating from a strenuous situation or task that places strain unto an individual’s body as one attempts to overcome the strenuous challenge or physical demand.
Recovery: The ability of one’s bodily processes to achieve a state of resting homeostasis swiftly and timeously after intense mental and physical exertion.
Resilience: The psychological ability to cope with a crisis mentally or emotionally and/or the ability to return to pre-crisis state promptly.
Occupational Performance: Is the ability to perceive, desire, recall, plan and carry out roles, routines, tasks, and sub-tasks for the purpose of self-maintenance, productivity, leisure and rest in response to demands of the internal and/or external environment.
Physical Fitness: The ability to perform muscular work satisfactorily and include cardiovascular endurance, body composition, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and flexibility.
Psychological Stress: A feeling of mental tension or strain originating from a strenuous, dangerous, or hazardous situation, between the person and the environment, that causes increased feelings of anxiety, worry, depression, anger, irritability, restlessness, and bad decision making.
Cognitive Performance: Involves the mental ability to think critically, logically, make the correct inferences and respond swiftly and appropriately to any situation one faces.
Decision Making: The ability to make the correct decision or appropriate course of action among several alternative option, particularly while in uncertain situations, while under external pressure.
Risk Taking Behavior: When one consciously or non-consciously makes decision or takes action with a perceived uncertainty about its outcome, and/or about its possible benefits or costs for the physical, economic or psycho-social well-being of oneself or others.
Heart Rate Variability: Is the variation in the time between each heartbeat, measures in milliseconds (ms).