a publication of the fitness and work capacity · part one— fitness and work capacity chapter 1...

Approved and sponsored for NWCGpublication by the Safety & HealthWorking Team, August 1997.

Additional copies of this publicationmay be ordered from: NationalInteragency Fire Center, ATTN: GreatBasin Cache Supply Office, 3833 S.Development Avenue, Boise, Idaho83705. Order NFES #1596.

Fitness andWork CapacitySecond Edition

Brian J. Sharkey, Ph.D.Project Leader

USDA Forest ServiceTechnology & Development ProgramMissoula, Montana

4E42P30—Firefighter Work Capacity

5100 FireApril 19979751-2814-MTDC

The Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, has developed this information for the guidance of its employees, itscontractors, and its cooperating Federal and State agencies, and is not responsible for the interpretation or use of this information byanyone except its own employees. The use of trade, firm, or corporation names in this publication is for the information andconvenience of the reader, and does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of any product or service to the exclusion ofothers that may be suitable.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin,sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Personswith disabilities who require alternative means of communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) shouldcontact the USDA Office of Communications at (202) 720-2791. To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Departmentof Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or (202) 720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employmentopportunity employer.

A Publication of theNational WildfireCoordinatingGroup

Sponsored byUnited StatesDepartment ofAgriculture

United StatesDepartment of theInterior

NationalAssociaton of StateForesters

PMS 304-2April 1997NFES 1596

Chapter 1—Fitness, Health, and Work Capacity

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ContentsAcknowledgments _________________________________________________________ iii

Preface ___________________________________________________________________ iii

Part One— Fitness and Work CapacityChapter 1— Fitness, Health, and Work Capacity _______________________________________ 1Chapter 2— Aerobic Fitness and Work Capacity _______________________________________________ 5Chapter 3— Muscular Fitness and Work Capacity_____________________________________________ 15

Part Two— Health, Safety, and PerformanceChapter 4— Nutrition and Performance _____________________________________________________ 21Chapter 5— Environment and Performance __________________________________________________ 29Chapter 6— Health and Safety _____________________________________________________________ 37

Part Three— Fit to WorkChapter 7— Work Capacity Tests and Training _______________________________________________ 47Chapter 8— Aerobic Fitness Programs ______________________________________________________ 55Chapter 9— Muscular Fitness Training ______________________________________________________ 61

References and Resources __________________________________________________ 77


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Acknowledgments

Preface

The first edition of this booklet, published in 1977, was designed to help field workers andwildland firefighters achieve health, fitness, and work capacity. This long-overdue secondedition updates information on fitness and work capacity, and provides additional material onnutrition, hydration, the environment, work hardening, and injury prevention. It consolidatesimportant information under one cover, introduces a new generation of job-related workcapacity tests, and provides workers with guidelines to help them achieve and maintain fitnessand the capacity to perform prolonged arduous work. Fit employees will not become a hazardto themselves or coworkers. They have a reserve to meet unforeseen emergencies.

While the focus of this booklet is on field workers and firefighters, it can be used by othersinterested in improving health, fitness, and the quality of life. The 1996 Surgeon General’sReport warns that:

Physical inactivity can be hazardous to your health!

The report recommends that everyone should engage in 30 minutes or more of moderatelyvigorous physical activity, most days of the week. Regardless of your job description, activitywill improve your health and extend the prime of your life.

Special thanks go to my talented colleagues at MTDC,including Ted Cote, Jim Kautz, Bert Lindler, Bob Beckley,and Sung Kokko, for their help in preparing this publication.Thanks also to the reviewers for their thoughtful commentsand suggestions, and to the researchers whose studies havecontributed to our understanding. Finally I want to recognizethe firefighters and other employees whose comments andexperiences have helped to focus this edition, and to dedicatethe book to their health, safety, and performance.


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Part OneFitness and Work Capacity

Fitness means many things to many people. It was once defined as “theability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness, and with ampleenergy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and to meet unforeseen emergencies.”Now fitness is defined in two major categories, aerobic and muscular.Both are essential components of work capacity, and both contribute tohealth and safety. We will review the components of fitness and theircontributions to health, then provide exercise prescriptions designed tohelp you reach your health, fitness, and work capacity goals.

“Fitness canneither be bought

nor bestowed,Like honor it must

be earned.”–Anonymous–


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U

Work CapacityWork capacity is theemployee’s ability toaccomplish production goalswithout undue fatigue, andwithout becoming a hazard tooneself or coworkers. It is acomplex composite of aerobicand muscular fitness, naturalabilities, intelligence, skill,experience, acclimatization,nutrition, and—of course—motivation. For prolongedarduous work, fitness is themost important determinant ofwork capacity.

Job Task AnalysisA comprehensive job task analysiswas conducted to identify the tasksrequired of wildland firefighters,and to determine the importance,difficulty, duration, and frequencyof each task. Last conducted inthe 1970’s, the analysis wasupdated to reflect possiblechanges in the demands ofwildland firefighting. The top-ranked tasks included:

• Using handtools to constructfireline

• Performing under adverseconditions

• Hiking with light loads

• Lifting and carrying light loads(such as firehose).

Tasks that ranked lower, largelybecause they occurred lessfrequently, included:

• Packing heavy loads

• Emergency responses

• Chain sawing.

The job task analysis confirmedthe importance of fitness forwildland firefighters. The task“Performing under adverseconditions,” identified in interviewsof experienced fire managers, wasdefined as “including long workshifts; rough steep terrain; heat,cold, altitude, smoke; insufficientfood, fluid replacement, sleep.”“Emergency responses,” anothercategory added in the 1995analysis, was defined as “fast pull-out to safety zone, rescue orevacuation assistance to others.”Firefighting continues to bedemanding, often dangerouswork, performed under adverseconditions.


ntil recently the primary source of power for accomplishing work came from the contractions of human

and animal muscles. While wind andwater were used to augment muscularpower, it wasn’t until the 18th centurythat mechanization began to reduce theneed for muscular work. Machines,computers, and robots have beendeveloped to supplement or replacehuman effort. Today when men andwomen go to “work,” few engage inarduous muscular effort. At the sametime labor-saving devices have reducedthe need for muscular work at home,and the automobile has made gettingfrom place to place physicallyeffortless.

Not surprisingly, we are now witnessingthe consequences of mechanizationand diminished activity. The UnitedStates, with one-third of its populationoverweight, has become the fattestnation on earth. Degenerative diseasesor diseases of lifestyle, such as heartdisease, hypertension, diabetes, andcancer have become the major causesof death. Overuse or repetitive traumainjuries are on the rise as thepopulation becomes less active. As aconsequence, many workers areunable to deliver a full day’s effort in aphysically demanding job.

Many jobs, such as field work andwildland firefighting, still requirestrength and endurance. Workers whoare accustomed to spending their daysat a desk must engage in strenuousfield work during the field season.

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Fun

Function

Frailty

Vig

or

Age50 70 90

Failure

Figure 1.1—Vigor and the active life . Active living extends the periods of fun and function and shortens the time of frailty and failure.

FitnessExtends

thePrime

ofLife

Without proper preparation, thestresses of arduous field work can leadto injury, illness, even death. Concernfor employee safety and health hasprompted the development of employeehealth or wellness programs, andspecial programs to ensure that onlythe fit are assigned arduous field tasks.Studies show that fit workers are saferand more productive than theirsedentary counterparts. Unfitindividuals can become a safety hazardto themselves and their coworkers. Thisbooklet is designed to help managers,crew leaders, and field workers achievethe fitness and work capacity needed todo the job safely.

But fitness is more than increasedperformance or improved safety. Theactive life and fitness lead to betterphysical and psychological health,lower risk of degenerative disease,enhanced vitality and longevity, and animproved quality of life. It paysdividends on and off the job, withimproved performance and morale,reduced absenteeism, and lowerworker’s compensation and health carecosts.

Activity, Fitness,and Health

The benefits of physical activity andfitness extend well beyond thoserelated to your job. Activities that leadto improved fitness and work capacityare also associated with:

• Reduced risk of heart disease,hypertension, and stroke

• Reduced incidence and severity ofdiabetes

• Reduced risk of certain cancers

• Reduced incidence of overweightand obesity

• Strengthened bones, ligaments,tendons, and muscles

• Reduced risk of osteoporosis

• Reduced risk of injury and illness

• Increased energy, mobility, andeven longevity.

Activity and fitness also confersubstantial psychological benefits,including:

• Reduced anxiety and depression

• Reduced tension and stress

• Enhanced self-concept and bodyimage

• Improved appearance andperformance

• Enhanced joy of living, vitality, andquality of life.

Activity and fitness also contribute tolonger life and to shortening the periodof debilitating illness that frequentlyprecedes death. Active living extendsthe prime of life, and adds life to youryears as well as years to your life .Aerobic and muscular fitness extendthe period of vigor so retired workerscan lead vital, independent lives(Figure 1.1).


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The mechanisms behind these benefitsare beyond the scope of this booklet.Simply stated, the human bodyresponds to the dictum:

Use it or lose it.

The body doesn’t wear out with use; itdeteriorates with lack of use. Therespiratory and cardiovascular systemsare enhanced with activity and training,and tissues such as muscle and boneare strengthened. Best results comewhen activity and fitness are combinedwith good nutrition, weight control,stress management, adequate rest,safe habits (using seat belts, wearingbicycle helmets), avoidance of smoking

and other drugs, and moderate use ofalcohol.

Wellness and Safety

Employee health and safety programscombine to reduce health care andworker’s compensation costs. A goodwellness program is really a goodsafety program. Like safety, wellnessemphasizes prevention, individualresponsibility, and cost-effectiveness.

Over 80% of all accidents in theworkplace are caused by unsafe actsrather than unsafe conditions. It makeslittle sense to stress the importance ofprotective equipment or ergonomics

while ignoring the mental and physicalcondition of employees. In general,individuals associated with high healthcare costs and unhealthy lifestyles(who are overweight, are inactive, aresubstance abusers, or who smoke) aremost prone to on-the-job injuries. Ahigh percentage of on-the-job accidentsare attributable to the human factor,human errors compounded byunhealthy habits. A good wellnessprogram helps individuals changedestructive and unhealthy habits.Wellness programs increase moraleand productivity while they reduceworker’s compensation costs,absenteeism, and employee turnover.Wellness, safety, and workperformance go hand in hand.


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PAR-Q Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. Use the questionnaire if you plan to become much more physically activeor before you undertake an exercise test. See page 41 for an explanation of PAR-Q and page 42 for a copy of thequestionnaire.

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