Occupational Comparison of Handgrip, Pinch Grip, and Response Time in Firefighters and Police Officers

This study aimed to compare the bilateral handgrip strength (HGS), pinch grip strength (PGS), and dominant hand response time between firefighters and police officers. A total of 205 male participants (128 firefighters and 77 police officers) from Southwestern United States completed the study. HGS and PGS were assessed through three maximum-effort trials for each hand using Jamar hydraulic dynamometers, and response time was measured using Human Benchmark Software. The significance level for all analyses was set at α = 0.05. Firefighters exhibited significantly greater bilateral HGS, palmar PGS, and tip PGS measures compared to police officers (p < 0.01), with correlation coefficients ranging from r = 0.433 to 0.625 for the dominant hand and r = 0.399 to 0.613 for the non-dominant hand. Response time was shorter for firefighters than police officers (p = 0.022). No significant differences were found in key PGS. Both groups showed strong positive correlations between bilateral HGS and response time (r = 0.619 for firefighters and r = 0.705 for police officers) and police officers showed strong to moderate positive correlations between HGS and PGS measures. Weak negative correlations were observed between response time and HGS and PGS measures (r = -0.0391 to -0.247). These findings highlight occupation-specific physical profiles and suggest targeted training programs could enhance job performance and reduce injury risk in both professions.