Impact of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Weights on Firefighter’s Kinematics During Simulated Firefighter Tasks

• DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004872
• Publication Date: 2024-06-10T21:09:51Z
• Authors: Susan Xu; Rachel F Jones; Neethan Ratnakumar; Kübra Akbaş; Jeffrey Powell; Ziqing Zhuang; Alex Zhou

Firefighters face a multitude of hazards in their line duty, with overexertion being one the foremost causes injuries or fatalities. This high risk is often exacerbated by burden carrying heavy self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). study aims to explore impact SCBA weight on firefighters' musculoskeletal joint movements. Six firefighters participated this study, performing four simulated firefighting tasks under three different conditions. A hybrid inverse kinematics approach was employed analyze kinematic data from two participants. The results revealed notable decrease lumbar range motion (ROM) as increased, particularly noticeable during hose advancement and stair climbing tasks. Conversely, an increase hip ROM observed, suggesting compensatory response reduced spinal flexibility. These findings underscore critical need understand implications turnout gear enhance firefighter performance reduce injury.