"There is a serious danger that fire policy will be developed on the basis of work carried out in the context of the market place rather than being underpinned by research which has been subjected to full process of academic rigour and peer review" Professor D Drysdale (European Vice-Chair, International Association of Fire Safety Sciences) and D T Davis (Chair of the Executive Committee, Institution of Fire Engineers). Fire Engineers Journal 61, 10, 6-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Contributors

Content

Homepage

Useful links

Research Advice

About us

Contact us

 

Eady, T. (1995) ‘Mid-Life Crisis’ In Fitness Within The Fire Service Workforce, http://www.fitting-in.com/eady.htm  

 

This page is still in the course of construction

Contributors

Content

Useful links

Research Advice

Homepage

About us

Contact us

 

SUMMARY

The purpose  of this report is two fold. Firstly, it was completed by the author as his submission as a work related report as part of the JOA Course at the Fire Service College, and the opinions expressed are his own and not that of the West Sussex Fire Brigade.

Secondly, to illustrate the physiological decline of the body due to the process of ageing. To relate this process to Fire Service lifestyle and activity, the ultimate aim being to educate personnel into the early establishment of behaviour and exercise habits beneficial both to physical performance and good  health.

Physiological and performance capability generally declines after about 30 years of age. The rates of decline in .the various functions differ however, and are significantly influenced by many  factors, including the level of physical activity.

It appears that regular physical training enables older personnel to retain higher levels of functional capacity (than sedentary counterparts), especially in cardiovascular functions.

The magnitude of the improvements achieved by regular physical training depends on many factors including initial fitness level, age, type and amount of training.

Personnel, as they advance through their career's and are promoted into more sedentary roles within the Service, must embark on and maintain regular worthwhile physical activities and integrate these into their daily workloads. These actions, along with a healthy lifestyle and the habits formed throughout life, will produce the significant benefit of good health - a priceless commodity.

 

 

 

Contributors

Content

Homepage

Useful links

Research Advice

Contact us

About us

CONTENTS

1.0   Introduction Physical Factors and Ageing

2.1   Strength

2.2   Neural Function

2.3   Cardiovascular Function

2.4   Respiratory Function

2.5   Body  Composition

2.6   Summary   of Physiological Functions

3.0   Fire Service Lifestyle and Activity

4.0    Information and Data  Collection

4.1   Questionnaire

 4.2   Results and Analysis

5.0   Recommendations

6.0   Appendices

7.0   References

8.0   Bibliography

 

9.0   Acknowledgements

 

 

Want help with your bibliography? Go to Research Advice

 

INTRODUCTION

There is no question that the physiology and performance capabilities of older personnel differ from those of young adult recruits. What is not so clear, however, the extent to which these differences are due to true biological ageing, or are the results of sociological restraints that alter the lifestyles and activity opportunities for personnel as they grow older.

If an active lifestyle is continued throughout life and into later years, a relatively high level of function is retained and vigorous activity can be engaged in successfully and safely, with associated benefits in mental agility also.

2.0 PHYSICAL FACTORS AND AGEING

2.1   Strength: Firefighters have always maintained strength performance at above average  levels. Generally strength potential is maintained more easily than cardiovascular performance, which can be lost in a third of the time it took to achieve.

Maximum strength of men and women is generally achieved between the ages of 20 - 30, at the time when muscular cross-section is usually the largest. Thereafter there is a progressive decline in strength for most muscle groups. This is due primarily to a reduced muscle mass (3 % every decade after the age of 25) that reflects a loss of total muscle protein brought about by inactivity, ageing or both.

Indirect evidence indicates that habitual physical training facilitates protein retention and thus delays strength decrement with ageing.

2.2   Neural  Function: Directly associated with muscular activity is reaction time.       Reaction  time is divided into central processing time (brain) and muscle reaction time.

Ageing causes a 37% reduction in the transmitting capacity of the brain/spinal cord, a 10% reduction in nerve conduction velocity and a significant loss in the elastic properties of the connective tissues. In short, ageing affects the ability to detect a stimulus  and process the information  to produce  a response. Automatic  responses (ie knee jerk reaction) do not involve processing in the brain and consequently are less affected by the ageing process.

Quick   actions and  responsiveness  are  vital elements  within effective firefighting. The decline of neural function is gradual, however, research has shown  that an active lifestyle may significantly and positively affect movement time at any  age, retarding the biological/ageing of certain neuromuscular functions.

2.3   Cardiovascular Function:  The most well established age related factor is the decline in maximal heart rate. This apparent age effect is progressive with advancing  years and appears to occur to the same extent in both active and Sedentary men and women. Maximum   heart rate (beats per min) = 220 - age (years)

As a consequence of a lower maximum heart rate, maximum cardiac output is reduced with age. Also contributing to this reduced blood flow capacity is a reduction in the heart's stroke volume.

Other age related changes in the cardiovascular system include a reduction in peripheral blood flow capacity. This may be due to a decease in the capillary to muscle fibre ratio and reduction in arterial cross sectional area.

Whether  the preceding changes in cardiovascular functions are as a direct result of the ageing process per se or of a lack of habitual physical activity, has not been  determined.  In fact, sedentary living may  bring losses in functional capacity that are as great as the effects of ageing itself.

Regular exercise, however, enables older individuals to retain cardiovascular functioning much above age-paired sedentary subjects.

In trials, previously active middle aged personnel followed a regular endurance exercise programme over a 10 year period. The usual 9 - 15 % decline in work capacity and maximum aerobic power was forestalled. In fact, at the age of 55 these active men had maintained the same values for blood pressure, body weight and VO2 max,  that were measured a decade earlier.

Respiratory Function: With  advancing age, the airways and tissues of the respiratory tract, including the air sacs, become less elastic and more rigid. In addition the chest wall becomes more rigid. As a result there is a decrease in pulmonary  lung capacity. In fact, vital capacity (the amount of air moved by maximal  inspiration followed by maximal expiration) can decrease as much as 30%  by retirement age. There is also a decrease in blood levels of oxygen.

Owing  to all these age related factors, as one ages one becomes   more susceptible to pneumonia, bronchitis and other pulmonary disorders. Aerobic training improves the conditions and efficiency of breathing muscles so the body can utilise more lung capacity during exercise. Residual volume (that portion of lung capacity that cannot be used) increases with age and inactivity. Regular  aerobic training can halve or even reverse this decline and ensure adequate respiration throughout life.

Body  Composition:   A  natural consequence directly related to the ageing process is the change in body composition. From the age of 25, 3%  of lean muscle tissue is replaced by fatty tissue every 10 years. Therefore, even if a constant weight is maintained the proportion of lean to fatty tissue will change and the "waistline will expand", as fatty tissue is less dense than muscular tissue.

If this increase in fatty tissue is combined with a decrease in activity the problem  will 'expand' and  in certain, extreme circumstances obesity will develop.

Once this fatty tissue has accumulated the only way to remove it (bar surgery) is by a programme of dieting and exercise. However, this cannot be achieved overnight, and the later in life it is started the longer it takes to complete. It must be undertaken  in a structured and gradual manner to avoid metabolic complications such as weight cycling.

Summary   of Physiological Functions: It can be seen from the previous sections that regular physical activity produces physiological improvements regardless of age. The effect of these changes depends on several factors, including initial fitness, status, age and the specific type of training.

With regard to the age factor, it appears that older individuals are not able to improve their strength and endurance capacity to the same extent as younger subjects. So, the message is, start young and keep it up!

3.0 Fire Service Lifestyle And Activity

This can best be quantified by age, rank and responsibility. Firefighters at ages 18 -30 join the Brigade with a high level of fitness and motivation.

The Chelsea Report (1987) stated that fitness levels 1 year into a recruits career were lower than at its inception. As a result. Brigades, including West Sussex, have introduced comprehensive fitness training programmes to address this issue.

All watch personnel are required (compulsorily) to undertake 45 minutes physical training on each  shift. This is to incorporate all the basic elements of fitness (cardiovascular, strength, flexibility etc). For this to be undertaken, equipment and time is allocated from the working day.

Officers on day duties are required to undertake physical training on two occasion per week, but no specific time is allocated for this. It is significantly much harder for the day duty officer to set aside time to undertake physical training. However, this is achieved by many  officers who skilfully manage their working day. Many officers complete a training session prior to the start of the day and consequently reap the benefits.

The  physical role of the fire fighter is at the forefront in the image of the public. However,  with the advances in technology and equipment, the physical demands are lessening. So the numbers of occasions which require large degrees of physical effort, even over a short period of time, are less and less frequent. Unfortunately, this can lead to a state of professional arrogance and belief that one's fitness is adequate to tackle anything.

As personnel progress through the ranks the quantity of physical activity is replaced with that of more   sedentary duties, albeit still interspersed with the occasional operational incident. The  popular tendency  is to downgrade  the priority of the personal physical training programme below that of the daily workload until physical training is almost non-existent. This, at a time when responsibility is increasing, is deleterious.

It is vital, therefore, that high and middle ranking personnel are encouraged   to maintain healthy active lifestyles in order to gain the best from themselves.

At present the Brigade has made attempts to address this with the introduction of an Occupational Health Scheme  and  a 3 yearly medical for all personnel. At these medicals personnel are checked for blood pressure, "correct" weight, eyesight etc.

Whilst this is a step forward and positive remedial action is taken to assist personnel who  fall below set standards, the common assumption if someone is overweight for example, is that they have 3 years before they have to lose the excess weight and are oblivious or ignorant of the consequences of obesity and sedentary lifestyle.

Additionally, no penalty is levied against heavy smokers, who not only risk their own health, but the health of their colleagues.

4.0  Information     And Data   Collection     An example of the circulated questionnaire is given in Appendix 'A' of this report.

The  questionnaire was issued not only to watch officers and retained personnel but supervisory officers responsible for training and recruitment, station and senior management.

This was done in order to achieve a complete cross section of personnel within the Brigade.

Replies to the questionnaire were to be anonymous in the hope that a genuine response would be achieved.

4.1   The  Questionnaire: The purpose of the questionnaire was to gauge the attitude       of personnel towards the fitness standards required in relation to the rank and       age  of the individual.

Respondents replied by answering simple questions on a 1 - 5 scale, relating to whether they agreed with or disagreed with the question statement.

4.2   Results: The score for the response to each question is represented in the form       of a graph in Appendix B  at the end of this report.

4.2.1 Question Analysis - to be read in conjunction with questionnaire       (Appendix A)

Question 1: All questioned, including officers, agreed conclusively that current fitness standards are adequate for potential recruits to complete training school.  This perception was  aided by  the contributions of middle  ranking and senior officers during initial stages of the recruit selection process.

Question  2:  In response, personnel questioned  felt that it was not realistic for a 55 year old firefighter to maintain the same fitness level as an 18 year old recruit.

Question 3:  Whilst there are a pleasing number of notable exceptions within the Brigade, the majority of respondents disagreed that it would be realistic to expect this standard.

Question 4:   For  a watch commander   to  distribute physical tasks amongst  his/her watch personnel, the majority agreed that this was possible. It goes without saying that a commonsense and even-handed approach are essential in achieving this.

Question 5: On  the more radical suggestion of physical and efficiency tests being completed in a 'team format9, the responses indicated a tendency  to favour the idea.   However,   the answers  were  less conclusive, preferring the mid ground.

Question 6: With regard to the relevance of senior supervisory officers achieving the same fitness standards of subordinates, the majority of personnel  questioned felt it was  relevant.  However,   when   the respondents were  isolated in groups, the officers were more evenly divided with  the balance in  favour of achieving the  same  fitness standards as the subordinate ranks.

Question 7:  A very positive response to this question highlighted the continuing need for senior management to be able to keep in touch with the 'sharp end' of the operational commitment of the Brigade. Factors such as single tier entry and the role played by senior management in recruitment aid this perception.

Question 8: A very open question, answered in a variety of ways. The answers have been divided into two main categories:

a.    Watch  personnel

b.    Officers

This is due to the fact that although time is available to officers for physical training, there is no specific time period allocated each day (which puts more emphasis on self motivation and time management).

Watch   personnel:  Circuits were twice as popular as team games  -recognising the flexibility and benefits of this format over a short period of time. Personnel are able to work at their own pace and level within the circuit, whereas team games, although good for motivation, do not sufficiently stress personnel physically (raise and maintain heart rate into training range) and statistically are far more injury prone.

Officers:  The  most  popular option  for 30  minute exercise was swimming,  being twice as popular as the next closest option, aerobics (mainly due to the popularity of the sessions arranged in 'A' Division).

 
5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS

As  a result of my research, I would make  the following recommendations  to improve/maintain fitness of personnel throughout their Fire Service career.

1.     Prioritise recruitment of individuals who have already developed and practise healthy lifestyles.

2.   Insert a compulsory no smoking clause into the contract of every firefighter (this is already commonplace in some American Fire Departments).

3.  Extend and develop the Occupational Health Scheme to increase the frequency of medical or facilitate spot checks of personnel whose fitness standards fall below  acceptable levels.

4.   Introduce a comprehensive programme of education to inform personnel of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

5.    Place a greater emphasis on physical exercise in the daily routine of all Fire Service personnel and actively encourage workable physical activity both on and off duty.

6.   All through ones Fire Service career, equipment is regularly checked and tested before and after use.  To prevent the onset of a "mid life crisis" timely programs of physical exercise combined with healthy lifestyles should be instigated and maintained. These cannot be imposed however, they must be       driven from within.

 

6.0  APPENDICES      

Appendix A      Example  of circulated questionnaire

Appendix B      Graph  showing results of the questionnaire

Appendix C          Chart illustrating questionnaire results

 

7.0  REFERENCES    

 i.    JOA Leadership and Management Phase - Course preparation data.

ii.   Fire Service Circular 6/1988 Chelsea College Report - The Physical Fitness of       Firemen - University of London.

 

8.0  BIBLIOGRAPHY

de Vries HA (1986) "Physiology of Exercise for Physical Education and Athletes" Wm  C  Brown, Dubque, lona

 

MacLeod D, Maughan R, Nimmo  M, Reilly T, Williams C (1987) "Exercise Benefits, Limits and Adaptations" E and FN Spon  - London

 

McArdle WD,  Katch FI KatchVL  (1981) "Exercise Physiology, Energy Nutrition and Human Performance" Lea and Febiger - Philadelphia

 

Sharkey BJ (1990) "Physiology of Fitness" (3rd Edition) Human  Kinetics Publishers - Illinois

 

Tortora GJ, Anagnostakos NP (1990) "Principles of Anatomy and Physiology" (6th Edition) Harper and Row - New York

 

 

9.0 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The  author would  like to acknowledge  the assistance of the following in the compilation of this report.

i.    The  personnel of the West Sussex Fire Brigade who completed and returned their questionnaires without whose contributions I would have been unable to gauge the attitude of personnel in this area.

ii.   Fire Service College Tutors, Roy Jenkins and Jeremy Arter for their advice in the compilation of this report.

iii.   Fire Service College Library Staff for their assistance on the IT content of this report.

iv.   Mrs  Gina Scotting for word processing the final draft.

 
 
Appendix A

                FIRE SERVICE  PHYSICAL  FITNESS SURVEY

 This research is being undertaken as part of the JOA Course at the Fire Service College

Please specify: Age:___________            Length of Service:________________       Rank:

Job Responsibility ie:    Operational/Watch Member/Fire Safety/Senior Management/Retained/Day Staff

Please do not state your name on this survey

The purpose of this questionnaire is to gauge the attitude of personnel towards the fitness standards required in relation to the rank and ages of the individual.

Please answer all the questions to the best of your knowledge by indicating whether you agree or disagree with the points raised by ticking the appropriate number. For example, if you are undecided tick number 3.

1.     Do you feel that the current fitness standards for recruit firefighiers are adequate to enable them to        effectively complete the rigours at training school and subsequently become operational firefighters?

Disagree           1            2            3           4            5          Agree

2.     In the case of serving firefighters, do you feel that a 55 year old senior watch firefighter should be        able to maintain the same fitness level as an 18 year old recruit firefighter?

Disagree           1            2            3           4            5          Agree

3.     In relation to question 2, do you believe that it would be realistic to expect this standard in most        cases?

Disagree           1            2            3           4            5          Agree

4.     Do you  feel that it is possible for a watch commander to distribute the physical tasks that may b&        encountered to take into account ages, fitness levels within his watch personnel, ie BA, driving etc?

Disagree           1            2            3           4            5          Agree

5.     Do you  feel that physical tests to indicate fitness and efficiency should be done in a team format        ie utilising all members of the watch to complete specific tasks within an acceptable time (safey        factors accepted) rather than individual associated tests?

Disagree           1            2            3           4            5          Agree

 

Do you feel that it is relevant for senior supervisory officers to achieve the same operational physical fitness standards as firefighters, even though it would be highly unlikely for the senior officer to be engaged in the same duties at an operational incident?

Disagree           1            2            3           4            5          Agree

In the light of your response to the previous question, do you feel the supervisory officer must have an accurate appreciation of the workloads and physical demands on his subordinates?

Disagree           1            2            3           4            5          Agree

If you had to spend 30 minutes per day undertaking a worthwhile PT activity that could be worked in with your day, what would it be?

Thank you for the time taken to complete this survey. Please forward it to:

Sub Officer Tim Eady Blue Watch Station 20 Bognor Regis

 

APPENDIX C

SERVICE

RANK

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q5

Q6

Q7

QUESTION 8

 

27

SUBO

4

1

1

5

5

5

6

TEAM GAMES

 

3

FF

5

1

2

4

4

2

5

TEAM GAMES

 

11

FF

5

2

1

3

1

5

5

SWIMMING

 

25

STNO

5

2

2

1

0

4

5

AEROBICS

 

21

FF

3

1

2

4

1

2

5

NO ANSWER

 

24

FF

3

1

1

5

5

3

5

VOLLEYBALL

 

9

LFF

4

1

1

4

2

1

5

SWIMMING

 

5

FF

5

1

2

1

1

5

5

TEAM GAMES

 

20

STNO

4

1

1

5

1

1

5

SWIMMING

 

25

LFF

4

1

1

2

0

5

5

SQUASH

 

9

FF

4

2

2

2

1

5

5

VOLLEYBALL

 

30

STNO

4

2

4

5

3

5

5

SWIMMING

 

23

FF

5

1

1

2

4

4

5

CIRCUITS

 

20

FIREFIGHTER

4

4

3

4

3

5

5

AEROBICS

 

24

FF

5

2

3

5

5

5

5

CIRCUITS

 

10

LFF

3

2

2

1

4

5

5

CIRCUITS

 

10

FF

5

1

1

4

2

5

5

CIRCUITS

 

12

LFF

4

2

2

2

3

5

5

CIRCUITS

 

17

LFF

5

1

1

5

5

5

5

NO ANSWER

 

20

FF

3

1

1

5

5

4

5

NO ANSWER

 

10

LFF

4

1

1

3

1

3

5

VOLLEYBALL

 

20

FF

4

2

2

4

5

3

5

TEAM GAMES

 

20

DO

3

1

1

4

2

2

4

SWIMMING

 

16

STNO

4

1

1

5

5

5

5

TEAM GAMES

 

25

ADO

3

2

2

2

3

5

5

SWIMMING

 

16

ADO

3

1

1

2

1

2

3

AEROBICS

 

15

SUBO

4

1

1

4

4

1

5

SWIMMING

 

5

FF

4

1

1

2

1

2

5

CIRCUITS

 

27

STNO

4

1

1

5

4

4

5

CYCLING

 

9

SUBO

4

2

3

3

2

3

5

AEROBICS

 

9

SUBO

5

1

3

3

5

2

5

NO ANSWER

 

17

DO

4

2

2

4

4

2

5

ROWING

 

22

SUBO

5

1

1

3

1

1

5

NO ANSWER

 

28

DO

5

1

1

5

3

1

5

SWIMMING

 

14

SUBO

3

5

3

5

5

4

5

CIRCUITS)

 

28

ADO

5

1

1

5

3

1

3

SWIMMING

 

14

SUBO

5

1

1

5

5

5

5

CIRCUITS

 

30

DO

5

3

3

5

3

4

5

AEROBICS

 

20

ADO

5

5

3

5

5

5

5

CIRCUITS

 

27

DO

5

5

3

5

4

5

4

ROWING

 

20

FF

5

3

3

5

5

1

5

BADMINTON

 

TOTALS

 

173

71

72

153

132

142

199

 

 

AVERAGE

 

4.219512

1.731707

1.756098

3.731707

3.219512

3.463415

4.853659

 

 

 

Appendix B

Contributors

Content

Homepage

Useful links

Research Advice

Contact us

About us