The Effects of Live-Fire Drills on Visual and Auditory Cognitive Performance among Firefighters

The nature of firefighters' work is characterized by its unexpected emergencies, sleep deprivation, night shift schedules, and smoke exposure during firefighting. Eighteen firefighters were involved in simulated live-fire activities. Firefighters' health status in terms of cardiovascular a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of global health 2020-11, Vol.86 (1), p.144-144
Main Authors: Hemmatjo, Rasoul, Hajaghazadeh, Mohammad, Allahyari, Teimour, Zare, Sajad, Kazemi, Reza
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Auditory system
Auditory tasks
Cognitive ability
Cognitive tasks
Endurance
Evacuations & rescues
Fire extinguishers
Fire fighting
Firefighters
Fires
Headphones
Hearing
Information processing
Medical records
Memory
Muscle strength
Night shifts
Original Research
Performance evaluation
Performance tests
Physical fitness
Physiology
Protective clothing
Sensory integration
Sleep deprivation
Visual effects
Visual perception
Visual tasks
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Summary:The nature of firefighters' work is characterized by its unexpected emergencies, sleep deprivation, night shift schedules, and smoke exposure during firefighting. Eighteen firefighters were involved in simulated live-fire activities. Firefighters' health status in terms of cardiovascular and mental conditions was checked by a physician and through reviewing their medical records. Firefighters' cognitive functions were evaluated by visual and auditory continuous performance tests (VCPT and ACPT) and paced visual and auditory serial addition tests (PVSAT and PASAT). VCPT and ACPT scores were lower after the activity relative to baseline. The results revealed that ACPT appears to be more difficult than VCPT. Also, PVSAT and PASAT scores decreased significantly after the experiment. PASAT scores following firefighting tasks experienced a more significant decline compared to those of the PVSAT. These findings suggest that firefighters have visual and auditory cognitive function problems following firefighting activities. In conclusion, auditory cognitive function was more influenced than the visual ability as a result of the experiment.
ISSN:2214-9996
2214-9996
DOI:10.5334/aogh.2626