This session provides an overview of the issues facing heat exposed responders and a range of practical, evidence-based strategies to mitigate them. This presentation demonstrates that the consequences of working in the heat can be sustained well beyond the exposure period through the dreaded ‘heat hangover’; that seasonal patterns of workplace harm exist and more broadly, and that pseudoscience exists within contemporary heat stress management. A range of proven strategies will be discussed to maximise worker health, safety and productivity. In doing so, prevailing hydration and cooling practices will be challenged by the application of research findings, with case studies from some of the harshest environments on earth.

Dr. Matt Brearley, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Professor James Bilzon will demonstrate how he systematically developed and implemented Physical Employment Tests and Standards (PETS) for the UK Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) by: i) performing a series of task analyses to identify the most physically demanding tasks performed by personnel; ii) engaging stakeholders and technical specialists to identify minimum acceptable performance standards; iii) validating practical surrogate tests of physical capacity; iv) identifying pass/fail criteria for each test and; v) working with the employer to develop physical capacity management processes. Finally, he will share new and emerging evidence on the effectiveness and positive impact of this initiative.

Dr. James Bilzon, University of Bath, United Kingdom

Firefighters’ heavy and layered personal protective equipment (PPE) induces heat strain, which impairs firefighters’ performance in the line of duty during summer. Increasing protective functions of PPE decreases comfort functions of PPE, and vice versa. Balancing between protective and comfort functions is a challenging issue. We will introduce a series of research on test methods about protective and comfort functions of firefighters’ PPE, heat strain of firefighters and cooling intervention to alleviate their heat strain.

Dr. Lee Joo-Young, Seoul National University, South Korea

The first part of this talk will show how climate change raises the likelihood of first responders’ deployment by increasing the frequency and intensity of natural disasters and people’s movements through borders. The second part of the talk will focus on the extreme conditions under which first responders typically operate in, caused by the environment, the psychophysical stress, and the need to wear protective clothing. Taken together, the two parts of this talk will discuss the relevance of climate change and extreme environments on the safety and effectiveness of emergency response operations.

Dr. Andreas Flouris, FAME Laboratory, University of Thessaly, Greece