Intro. Both discrimination and harassment directly impact mental and physical health. Further, workplace discrimination degrades workplace culture and negatively impacts health behaviors, job-related outcomes, and family dynamics. Women represent a small proportion of the fire service and are often the targets of discrimination/harassment, yet little research documents the impact of such experiences. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between chronic work discrimination and/or harassment and women firefighters’ (FFs) physical and mental health, substance abuse, and job efficacy, stress, and satisfaction. Methods. Snowball sampling was used to solicit participation from women career FFs. Participants completed an online survey regarding physical and mental health, health behavior, job efficacy/stress/satisfaction, and family well-being. Logistic regression examined the impact of work discrimination-harassment severity on dichotomous variables. Results. 1,773 had complete data on their experiences with work-related discrimination and harassment. Women reported experiencing verbal (37.5%) and written (12.9%) harassment, hazing (16.9%), sexual advances (37.4%), and assaults (5.1%) in the fire service. FFs in the highest tertile of work discrimination-harassment severity reported over 40% more poor health days in the last 30 days (OR=1.42; 95%CI=1.33-1.51; p<0.001). Women who experienced moderate and severe discrimination/harassment had negative mental health outcomes including higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. Those who experienced high rates of discrimination and/or harassment also were more likely to report issues with alcohol consumption. Conclusion. The impact of discrimination and harassment, related negative physical and mental outcomes, low levels of job satisfaction, and negative impact of these experiences on family/home stress likely take a significant toll on women in the fire service. Findings confirm and extend previous work suggesting there is a need to improve the mental and physical health of women FFs. Future work should examine the prospective relationship between discrimination/harassment and poor health outcomes and potential policies/practices to reduce these negative behaviors.

Objective: Examine atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk scores by age and weight status in career firefighters. Methods: Medical examinations for firefighters more than or equal to 40 years ( n = 644) were examined. ASCVD 10-year risk scores were calculated from sex- and race-specific equations and were reported by three age (40 to 44.9, 45 to 49.9, more than or equal to 50 years) and weight (normal, overweight, obese) categories. Results: Mean risk scores were 1.8%, 3.5%, and 6.2% for firefighters 40 to 44.9, 45 to 49.9, and more than or equal to 50 years, respectively. The association of weight status with increased ASCVD risk was higher ( P < 0.01) among older firefighters, where risk was 0.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6 to 1.1) and 2.3% (95% CI: 2.0 to 2.6) among normal versus obese 40 to 44.9 year olds, and 4.1% (95% CI: 3.1 to 5.3) and 7.8% (95% CI: 6.7 to 8.9) among normal versus obese more than or equal to 50 year olds. Conclusions: While firefighters cannot avoid aging, physicians should counsel firefighters with weight-maintenance or weight-loss advice to prevent and manage elevated ASCVD risk.

Background Firefighting is a dangerous occupation with high rates of injuries and fatalities, with the majority of line of duty fatalities due to cardiovascular events. Additionally, firefighters struggle with poor health/low levels of fitness, including high (> 80%) rates of overweight and obesity. Limited resources exist for fire departments that are tailored to the culture and work requirements of these “tactical athletes”. Though there has been increasing interest in high intensity functional training (HIFT) programs, research data are lacking among firefighters and few studies have focused on training recruits. The purpose of this pilot investigation was to examine a novel HIFT program (TF20) on fire academy recruits’ health, fitness, and performance as determined by a simulated fire ground test (SFGT), as well as determining the program’s acceptability and feasibility. Methods Thirteen participants were recruited from an entry level fire academy and were randomly assigned to the control (CG, n = 6) or HIFT group (TF20, n = 7). The CG was asked to continue current exercise habits. TF20 was provided a 10-week online based training program that included periodized workouts, nutritional information, and mental readiness education. Due to attrition within the first two weeks of the study, 10 male fire recruits (23 ± 3 years) completed the study (CG, n = 3, TF20, n = 7). All 10 participants completed baseline and follow-up assessments. Results The TF20 group showed improvement on numerous outcome measures including SFGT (40% passing at baseline, 86% passing post-intervention). TF20 participants significantly increased estimated VO2max ( p = 0.028), improved body composition (p = 0.028), and improved grip strength ( p = 0.018). The CG did not experience any significant changes. The TF20 group completed approximately 75% of the assigned workouts. Conclusion While TF20 participants showed significant fitness gains, the small sample size limited direct comparisons to the CG. TF20 was well-received although there may be a better way to implement the intervention to increase participation. This investigation provides promising outcomes, useful information about implementation, feasibility, and acceptability for the TF20 HIFT program among firefighter recruits. IRB #8063 APPROVED 01/04/2016. Trial registration NCT03319394 . Registered 28 September 2014. Retrospectively registered.

Objective: To examine occupational injuries among career women firefighters (FFs). Methods: A national cross-sectional survey assessed injury prevalence, types, frequencies, and predictors. Results: A total of 3012 women career FFs were enrolled in the study. Almost a third (31.7%) reported at least one occupational injury in the past 12 months. The most common injuries were dislocations, sprains, or strains (59.3%). Racial minority status, self-rated health, body composition, exercise habits, substance use, mental health, and job dissatisfaction were all significant injury correlates. Nearly 43% of injuries resulted in missed workdays. Additionally, 25% reported incurring chronic injuries. Conclusions: Women FFs reported a high prevalence of occupational injury and a significant percentage reported chronic injuries. These data can inform initiatives to curtail injuries in the fire service and better protect women FFs.