Firefighters' cardiovascular health and fitness: An observation of adaptations that occur during firefighter training academies

Background: Firefighters' cardiovascular fitness remains a foremost concern among fire departments and organizations, yet very little research has been conducted to examine the cardiovascular fitness adaptations that occur during firefighter training academies.

Objective: To describe the cardiovascular adaptations observed among firefighter recruits during firefighter training academies using measures of estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and heart rate recovery (ΔHR).

Methods: Firefighter recruits (n = 41) enrolled in a 16-week firefighter training academy completed a 5-minute step test during the first, eighth, and sixteenth week of training. Repeated measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) calculations were conducted to determine changes in estimated VO2max and ΔHR.

Results: Results of the RM ANOVA calculations revealed that mean estimated VO2max and mean ΔHR differed significantly between time points: F(2, 80) = 75.525, p < 0.001, and F(2, 80) = 4.368, p = 0.016, respectively. No significant changes were observed in mean estimated VO2max and mean ΔHR beyond the eighth week of training. No significant relationship was identified between estimated VO2max and ΔHR.

Conclusions: Although firefighter recruits' estimated VO2max and ΔHR change significantly over the course of the firefighter training academy, the measures may not be equal predictors of cardiovascular fitness.