Measuring wildland fire fighter performance with wearable technology

Parker, Richard; Vitalis, Antonios; Walker, Robyn; Riley, David E.; Pearce, H. Grant

doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2016.08.018

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Fire behavior information garnered from a wildfire is unfortunately rarely published [28]. Employing technologies such as fire record notebooks or mobile photo and video equipment to fire crews [66] can complement firefighting training and are now available at low-cost compared to the cost of fire suppression operations. The more we can learn about fires occurring in these novel fire environments, the better-prepared and informed firefighters, fire managers, scientists, and policy-makers will be to recommend and take appropriate actions when it comes to dealing with both wanted and unwanted fires.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Firefighter Observations of “Surprising” Fire Behavior in Mountain Pine Beetle-Attacked Lodgepole Pine Forests

Moriarty

Cheng

Hoffman

et al. 2019

Fire

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The recent mountain pine beetle outbreak affecting lodgepole pine forests in the Rocky Mountains has created a novel fire environment for wildland firefighters. This paper presents results from an examination of firefighters’ observations of fire behavior in post-outbreak lodgepole pine forests, with a focus on what they considered surprising from a fire behavior standpoint and how this in turn affected their suppression tactics. The surprises in fire behavior experienced by firefighters during the red phase of post-outbreak forests included an elevated level of fire spread and intensity under moderate weather and fuel moisture conditions, increased spotting, and faster surface-to-crown fire transitions with limited or no ladder fuels. Unexpectedly, during the gray phase in mountain pine beetle-attacked stands, crown ignition and crown fire propagation was observed for short periods of time. Firefighters are now more likely to expect to see active fire behavior in nearly all fire weather and fuel moisture conditions, not just under critically dry and windy situations, and across all mountain pine beetle attack phases, not just the red phase. Firefighters changed their suppression tactics by adopting indirect methods due to the potential fire behavior and tree-fall hazards associated with mountain pine beetle-attacked lodgepole pine forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Firefighter Observations of “Surprising” Fire Behavior in Mountain Pine Beetle-Attacked Lodgepole Pine Forests

Moriarty

Cheng

Hoffman

et al. 2019

Fire

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“…Substantial research has been carried out in laboratories where urban fire conditions were simulated [ 23 ]. However, rural fire conditions cannot be easily and realistically simulated in the laboratory, as the associated variables, such as the size of the area, terrain and meteorological conditions are numerous [ 15 ]. Although there are previous studies targeting forest fires, rural fires and urban fires, there are few studies targeting multiple disasters [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Omi et al (2014) [ 14 ] estimated that the energy requirement of fire-fighters in the event of a large-scale disaster is about 3000 to 4000 kcal, but it is difficult to determine accurately at present due to a wide range of estimated values. Omi et al (2014) [ 14 ], Parker et al (2017) [ 15 ], and Robertson et al (2017) [ 16 ] tried to verify the physical activity of fire-fighters using new equipment, but the number of samples remained small. Fire-fighters have various roles during a large-scale disaster activity, but there are only a few cases where they are quantitatively verified.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating Total Energy Expenditure for Fire-Fighters during Large Scale Disaster Response Training Using a Tri-Axial Accelerometer

et al. 2021

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The present study was conducted to estimate total energy expenditure (TEE) of fire-fighters using tri axial-accelerometers in conjunction with an activity log survey on a large number of subjects undergoing training mimicking a large-scale disaster. Subjects were 240 fire-fighters participating in a two-day fire-fighting training dedicated to large-scale natural disasters. Data was analyzed by job type of activity group and the job rank, and by comparing the average. The average TEE of the total survey training period is about 3619 (±499) kcal, which is the same value of expenditure for professional athletes during the soccer game season. From the activity group, the rescue and other teams consumed significantly more energy than the fire and Emergency Medical Team (EMS) teams. From the job rank, Fire Captain (conducting position) consumed significantly lower energy than the Fire Lieutenant and Fire Sergeant. Furthermore, it was found that a middle position rank consumed the most energy. This research supports a need to reconsider the current rescue food (and protocols) to supplement the energy expenditure of fire-fighters. In addition, since there was a significant difference between the job type and the job rank, it is necessary to examine the energy amount and shape suitable for each.

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“…In this context, the measurement of the physiological workload of firefighters allows us to understand the factors that contribute to fatigue and to provide a quantitative measure of the physical requirements of a task to reduce risks and improve work performance [64].…”

Section: Sensor-based Systems For Physiological Parameter Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preventing and Monitoring Work-Related Diseases in Firefighters: A Literature Review on Sensor-Based Systems and Future Perspectives in Robotic Devices

Taborri

Pasinetti

Cardinali

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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In recent years, the necessity to prevent work-related diseases has led to the use of sensor-based systems to measure important features during working activities. This topic achieved great popularity especially in hazardous and demanding activities such as those required of firefighters. Among feasible sensor systems, wearable sensors revealed their advantages in terms of possibility to conduct measures in real conditions and without influencing the movements of workers. In addition, the advent of robotics can be also exploited in order to reduce work-related disorders. The present literature review aims at providing an overview of sensor-based systems used to monitor physiological and physical parameters in firefighters during real activities, as well as to offer ideas for understanding the potentialities of exoskeletons and assistive devices.

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Measuring wildland fire fighter performance with wearable technology

Cited by 19 publications

References 27 publications

Firefighter Observations of “Surprising” Fire Behavior in Mountain Pine Beetle-Attacked Lodgepole Pine Forests

Firefighter Observations of “Surprising” Fire Behavior in Mountain Pine Beetle-Attacked Lodgepole Pine Forests

Estimating Total Energy Expenditure for Fire-Fighters during Large Scale Disaster Response Training Using a Tri-Axial Accelerometer

Preventing and Monitoring Work-Related Diseases in Firefighters: A Literature Review on Sensor-Based Systems and Future Perspectives in Robotic Devices

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