Firefighting is a very hazardous profession. Firefighters experience an injury rate that is three times higher than other physically demanding professions and the death rate in the fire service is also much higher compared to typical. Throughout the literature, data suggest the physical nature of firefighting contributes to the high incidence of injury and death among firefighters. As such, special interest groups and firefighting organizations advocate for firefighters to exercise and stay fit in order to safeguard their physical health. Yet, despite these efforts, firefighters still experience a very high incidence of back injuries and heart attacks which can lead to early retirement from disability or death. In the first aim of this dissertation, we examined the relationships between specific back fitness tests and history of back injuries in 113 firefighters in an effort to understand which fitness tests may aid in screening firefighters for risk of back injury. We found that a test of lumbar extension flexibility was associated with a higher incidence of back injuries among our sample (p<0.01). In the second aim of the study, we investigated whether perceived fitness was related to history of back injuries since firefighters’ perceptions of their fitness level may direct how they choose to perform job tasks that pose high risk for injury. Within the same sample of firefighters, we found that perceived fitness was not related to history of back injuries nor was the relationship between actual fitness and history of back injuries mediated by perceived fitness. However, perceived fitness correlated with scores on our back strength (r=0.28; p=0.003) and hamstring strength (r=0.21; p=0.03) tests. In the third aim of the dissertation, we sought to develop a treadmill walking protocol to screen firefighters for low aerobic capacity which is a major risk factor for heart attack. Thirty-eight male firefighters wore a vest weighing 20% of their body weight and performed a walking VO2max test in which the treadmill grade increased by 1% each minute. The predicted VO2max from this walking test was very accurate; within a standard error of the estimate of 3.2 ml/kg/min. This new (Moore) protocol requires only a standard treadmill and is more job specific than a running test. In conclusion, more research needs to be conducted to understand how firefighters’ perceived fitness directs their behaviors when performing job tasks and how high levels of fitness can protect against back injuries and heart attacks in firefighters. This dissertation has contributed to the development of screening protocols to aid in preventing these adverse events. / Graduation date: 2013

Critical Incident Stress has the potential to affect emergency services personnel to the degree that it can change the way the responder acts and reacts in all facets of his or her life, including the job and his or her family. Research into these potential effects has produced a greater understanding of the responders experiences within a short period of time after the perceived critical incident. This study investigates the long-term effects of critical incident stress among emergency responders from two cities in the three emergency services professions were interviewed to determine what their experiences were at least six months post critical incident. A structured incident had in three areas of teh emergency responders lives: impact on job, impact on the individual responder, and perceived impact on emergency responders families. For particpants, symptoms of Critical Incident Stress lasted between 6 months and 2 years after the perceived critical incident. Analysis of the data indicatees that single responder critical incidents have the potential to negatively affect emergency responders resulting in the loss of enthusiasm and passion for their work, debilitating psychological distress, and isolation from valued support systems. Long-term effects of Critical Incident Stress change the perceptions that responders have about the job, about themselves, and the relationships with their families. The culture of emergency services, changing identities, and the lack of support from both within the system and outside of the system were seen as variables that contribute to the long-term effects of Critical Incident Stress. / xi, 181 leaves ; 29 cm.

Wildfires in Canada and around the world are increasing in frequency each year from factors such as accumulated fuel load, climate changes, and pine beetle infestation. Due to an increased proportion of individuals living in the wildland–urban interface areas within Canada and due to the increasing need for firefighters to fight the growing number of fires that burn each year, the potential threat for humans is also becoming greater. Conducted on the 2009 West Kelowna, British Columbia wildfires, this descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study incorporates quantitative validity measurements to investigate factors related to individual variations in psychological distress and posttraumatic growth (PTG). The findings revealed that perception of control, social support, compounding stressors (i.e., dual roles, ongoing responsibilities and personal issues), and coping methods (i.e., debriefing, humour, self-care behaviours, and reflection) were precursors to psychological health and resilience. Since wildfires are increasing in Canada as well as on a global scale, understanding how they affect residents and firefighting personnel from a mental health perspective is important to research, as it can lead to identifying more effective interventions, better provision of disaster relief services, and increase individual resilience. / xi, 193 leaves ; 29 cm