The Relationship Between Physical Mobility and Firefighter Occupational Task Performance

Firefighters work in a dangerous profession with high injury rates. Mobility dysfunction in firefighters may impact performance and contribute to injury. The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) is commonly used to evaluate individuals for mobility dysfunction and compensatory movements. The purpose of this study was to identify if mobility is related to firefighters' occupational task performance. This was a retrospective study assessing 29 career firefighters using FMS and occupational performance task scores. Statistical analyses consisted of a multiple linear regression assessing predictors on occupational task performance, and 21 point-biserial correlations ran to assess the relationship between each individual predictor and occupational task performance. Of the 21 point-biserial correlations, four were found to be significant, indicating a relationship between the FMS and occupational task performance. Inline Lunge L had a negative correlation with occupational task time and was statistically significant (r_pb = -0.46, p = 0.012); Inline Lunge R had a negative correlation of moderate strength (r_pb = -0.583, p = 0.001), Inline Lunge Combined had a negative correlation of moderate strength (r_pb = -0.523, p = 0.004), and Shoulder Mobility L had a negative correlation of moderate strength (r_pb = -0.445, p = 0.016). This study determined that the Inline Lunge component of the FMS may be a key element in occupational task performance.