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Firefighter- and Fire Department-Level Barriers and Promoters of Physical Activity and Fitness Among Volunteer
Nimit N Shah1, Olivia A Wackowski, Sara A Jahnke
1From the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey (N.N.S., J.R., T.M.B., J.A., J.M.G.), Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey (O.A.W.); Center for Fire, Rescue, and EMS Health Research, NDRI-USA, Inc, Leawood, Kansas (S.A.J., B.S.H.); Counseling and Psychology, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, Tennessee (D.L.E.); Department of Public Health Sciences, Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida (A.J.C.-M.); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, Ohio (M.M.C.); Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (E.A.); D&S Research Associates and Engineering, LLC, Belmont, Massachusetts (C.C.G.); and Toms River Board of Fire Commissioners, District #1, Toms River, New Jersey (B.S.K.).
Objective:
To describe volunteer firefighters' perspectives on how firefighter- and fire department-level factors influence their physical activity and fitness.
Methods:
Firefighters (n = 28) were interviewed, stratified by their years of firefighting, using an interview guide. Thematic analysis and systematic coding were used to analyze the interview transcripts.
Results:
Five themes were identified: (1) health and firefighting performance, (2) firefighter time and availability, (3) responsibility of the fire department to support volunteer members' physical fitness, (4) fire training drills as a form of functional physical activity, and (5) fitness initiatives at the department. Interviewing by years of experience showed varied perspectives that converged toward similar conclusions.
Conclusions:
Incorporating fitness discussions into department meetings and trainings and identifying fitness advocates within the department may contribute to overcoming barriers to physical fitness among volunteer firefighters.
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