Accuracy of peak VO2 assessments in career firefighters
"Quantifying the energy demands of firefighting during fire suppression is difficult due to the inherent dangers of fire suppression tasks. Most efforts to define the arduous physical work demand requirements during firefighting have been focused on establishing the level of metabolic equivalents (METs) (1 MET ≈ 3.5 ml of O2/kg/min) using simulated tasks. A MET is a multiple of the resting metabolic rate and is commonly estimated using standardized equations [4]. 10 METs is roughly equivalent to jogging a 10-minute mile; 14 METs is similar to many extended competitive activities such as running or rowing competitively, or bicycle racing at a high level [5]. The estimated METs proposed for firefighting range from 9.6 [6] to 14 [7] (a peak VO2 range of 33.6 ml/kg-1 min-1·to 49 ml/kg-1·min-1). Recent analysis of physical aptitude tests among firefighter recruits demonstrated that male recruits' average VO2 requirement was 38.5 ml/kg-1·min-1 (11 METs) to complete a timed simulated firefighting assessment course [8]. Measurement of functional capacity in 23 firefighters suggested that a mean of 41.54 ml/kg-1·min-1 (11.9 METs) is required to complete standard fire suppression tasks while wearing personal protective equipment [9]."
....Lotsa big words and a bit hard to read but the take home pieces:
- VO2 requirements for typical fire scene tasks range between 33.6 ml/kg/min to 49 ml/kg/min
- The average VO2 would be around 41.51ml/kg/min to perform suppression tasks while wearing personal protective equipment.
Where are you on the scale?
For the complete paper check out this link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3192756/?tool=pubmed
