Physiological and environmental aspects of firefighter training.

Health and safety legislation requires employers to reduce risks to health for their employees so far as is reasonably practicable. Exposure to elevated temperatures during training has been identified as a hazard to which firefighters and their instructors are exposed. However, it is essential that firefighters are trained to cope with the dangers which they might encounter at an incident. Although some risk can therefore be regarded as justifiable, it is clearly essential to strike a balance between providing realistic training whilst avoiding unnecessary risk.

The vast majority of Brigades provide some form of heat and/or live fire training for their firefighters, either within their own resources or contracted out. This training is clearly important, not only for learning correct techniques and procedures but also for firefighters to gain experience of working in adverse thermal conditions. A questionnaire survey of all British Fire Brigades was performed to identify what types of training involving heat exposure were provided; what environmental or personal monitoring was conducted; the purposes of such training; and the perceived benefits arising.
Although most Brigades do provide some form of training in elevated temperatures, the survey showed only limited knowledge of the extent of the hazard, i.e. the temperatures to which firefighters and instructors are exposed. Even amongst those training establishments where exposure measurements are obtained such measurements are often not available in every training facility on site. Systems are frequently based on static measurements, particularly in larger (multi-room) training facilities, which may not be sufficient to document actual exposure.
Following the questionnaire survey and follow-up visits to a small sample of establishments, data collection systems were established at a number of training venues. The data collected covered environmental temperatures; body temperatures of firefighters and instructors; and comments and opinions on the aims and objectives of the training provided. These data were used to establish provisional guideline environmental temperatures for three main types of training in elevated temperatures: heat and humidity; fire behaviour; and search and rescue.

A number of participants questioned the value of Heat and Humidity training. Many expressed the opinion that the principal objective of allowing trainees to experience the effects of getting very hot was also met in other forms of training (e.g. search and rescue) where they also got very hot. It is therefore recommended that such training be discontinued unless clear additional benefits can be established.
Fire Behaviour training varies considerably between Brigades in both nature and duration. The environmental temperatures involved can be very high although considerable vertical ‘layering’ of heat can be expected because of the design of the training facility and the nature of the training being provided. As a result, the positioning and posture of trainees and instructors has a considerable influence on actual heat exposure. Although such training is clearly essential, some aspects of it, specifically moving trainees closer or moving them in some other way to feel the heat better, appear to be of questionable benefit. Ideally such training should be provided with short (possibly intense) exposures with adequate breaks between repeat exposures to ensure adequate cooling (including heat stored in garments). Particular care should be taken by instructors who may remain exposed to the heat for longer periods whilst trainees are taken through a demonstration in small sub-groups.
Temperature data obtained from fire behaviour training was very variable, due in part to the variation in the design of the training facility and in the nature of the training provided. Consequently it was not considered possible to determine general guidelines for temperature exposure to limit the risk of injury. However, it was nevertheless considered desirable to provide some guidance for establishments conducting such training in the absence of more definitive data. This takes the form of some examples of exposure temperatures and durations for different types of facility and training scenarios. Obtained from actual measurements, these provide some idea of the likely risk of heat injury in similar circumstances.
Search and Rescue training generally involves longer periods of exposure than Fire Behaviour training and, although the general environmental temperatures tend to be lower, a significant risk of heat stress can be identified from physiological measurements (body temperature). Provisional guidelines have been computed for different training durations up to twenty minutes.
It is recommended that all establishments providing training in elevated temperatures should have systems in place to monitor and record such temperatures within all facilities. In addition, in multi-compartment facilities (or large single rooms), temperatures should be recorded from all compartments and it should be possible to relate these to the location of training teams within the facility at any time.
Adherence to the temperature guidelines provided should significantly reduce the risk of injury through excessive heat exposure. Nevertheless, it is recommended that training establishments routinely monitor the body temperature of trainees and instructors immediately after exiting a training facility to confirm the effectiveness of their temperature control. Guidance is provided on a suitable system for such measurements.
In addition to controlling the risk at source it is also recommended that training establishments introduce a comprehensive package of risk management measures to be applied both before and after training sessions and again guidance is provided on a comprehensive range of such measures.
Many different factors affect heat exposure and its effects. Due to the limited number of establishments from where it was possible to obtain such data it has not been possible to derive comprehensive guidelines to cover every training establishment and scenario although those presented are considered to provide reasonable protection. Further studies are therefore proposed to introduce a standard system for monitoring and evaluation of heat exposures and physiological responses that, in time, will allow these provisional guidelines to be refined and expanded. Further guidance will therefore be issued in due course. In conclusion, exposure of firefighters (and their instructors) to elevated temperatures during training is seen as a necessary part of their training. Provisional guidelines and recommendations are provided which, if adhered to, should help to keep the degree of resultant risk to health to justifiable and acceptable levels.