Centro de Documentacion de Fundación MAPFRE - The Ageing Australian firefighter : an argument for age-based recruitment and fitness standards for urban fire services

Notes: Sumario: Currently, there is no enforcement of physical standards within Australian fire services post-recruitment, possibly leading to inappropriate fitness and body composition. This study evaluated the impacts of ageing on physical standards of Australian firefighters. Seventy-three firefighters from three different 10-year age groups [2534 years (n = 27), 3544 years (n = 27), 4554 years (n = 19)] volunteered for physical testing using dual-energy X-ray analysis and existing fitness tests used for recruitment by an Australian fire service. Older (4554 years) participants demonstrated significantly poorer physical standards compared with younger participants including cardiovascular fitness (p < 0.05), strength (p = 0.001) and simulated operational power testing tasks (p < 0.001). Age-related body composition changes were also observed independent of body mass index. Minimum recruitment standards and fitness programs need to account for age-related declines in physical capabilities to ensure that the minimum standard is maintained regardless of age.Related records: En: Ergonomics : the international journal of research and practice in human factors and ergonomics. - Oxon [United Kingdom] : Taylor & Francis, 2010- = ISSN 0014-0139. - 07/04/2014 Volumen 57 Número 4 - abril 2014 Other categories: 875

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