ANALYSIS OF THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS THAT MILITARY FIREFIGHTERS ARE SUBJECT TO IN FIRE OPERATIONS IN CONFINED ENVIRONMENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/zhhdkn07Keywords:
Training, thermal stress, air consumptionAbstract
Firefighting operations in confined environments impose high physiological demands on military firefighters, constituting a significant risk to physical integrity. This study analyzed the physiological effects on 121 military firefighters during controlled exposure in a Fire Development Simulator (SDI). Pre- and post-exposure parameters were evaluated: blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, compressed air consumption, and fluid loss, using Pearson correlation analysis. Results revealed strong positive correlation (r = 0.82; p < 0.001) between systolic and diastolic blood pressure variations; moderate to strong correlation (r = 0.67; p < 0.01) between heart rate and air consumption; and strong negative correlation (r = -0.78; p < 0.001) between oxygen saturation and air consumption. Average fluid loss was -1.00 kg (± 0.40 kg) in younger quartiles, with lower deficit (-0.86 kg) in the oldest quartile. Compressed air consumption emerges as a sensitive marker of physiological load, surpassing isolated variables, recommending the implementation of individualized hydration protocols and air consumption monitoring as preventive operational strategies.
Downloads
References
CHEUNG, S. S.; PETERSEN, S. R. Physiological strain and countermeasures with firefighting. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, v. 20, n. S3, p. 103-116, out. 2010. Disponível em: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01215.x. Acesso em: 05 mar 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01215.x
CHU, Aaron L.; JAY, Ollie; WHITE, Matthew D. The effects of hyperthermia and hypoxia on ventilation during low‑intensity steady‑state exercise. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, n. 292, R620–R628, 2007. DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00932.2005. Disponível em: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpregu.00932.2005. Acesso em: 20 jul. 2025.
COSTA, A. K. B.; SANTOS, G. V. M. Taxa de sudorese e nível de hidratação em bombeiros submetidos à simulação de combate a incêndio e uso de pasta de gelo. TCC, Universidade Federal de Alagoas, 2019. Disponível em: http://www.repositorio.ufal.br/jspui/handle/123456789/13254. Acesso em: 02 ago. 2025
CRANDALL, Craig G. Heat stress and baroreflex regulation of blood pressure. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, v. 40, n. 11, p. 2063–2070, 2008. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181815f4e. Disponível em: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2008/11000/heat_stress_and_baroreflex_regulation_of_blood.13.aspx. Acesso em: 18 jul. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318180bc98
GONZÁLEZ‑ALONSO José; CRANDALL, Craig G.; JOHNSON, John M. The cardiovascular challenge of exercising in the heat. Journal of Physiology, v. 586, n. 1, p. 45–53, 2008. DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2007.142158. Disponível em: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17855754/. Acesso em: 08 mar 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2007.142158
GRAHAM, T. E.; et al. Older Firefighters Are Susceptible to Age‑Related Impairments in Heat Dissipation. American Journal of Physiology – Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, v. 306, n. 8, p. R456–R464, 2014. Disponível em: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25290744/. Acesso em: 03 fev. 2026.
HOLLAND‑WINKLER, A. M.; HAMIL, B. K. Hydration Considerations to Improve the Physical Performance and Health of Firefighters. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, v. 9, n. 4, p. 182, out. 2024. Disponível em: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11503342/ . Acesso em: 25 ago. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9040182
McARDLE, William D.; KATCH, Frank I.; KATCH, Victor L. Fisiologia do exercício: energia, nutrição e desempenho humano. 7. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan, 2011.
MEYER, F. Suor: fatores que influenciam a sua formação e composição eletrolítica. Revista Perfil, Porto Alegre, v. 4, n. 4, p. 63–66, 2000. Disponível em: http://hdl.handle.net/10183/170413. Acesso em: 25 set. 2025.
NOGUEIRA, Rosenkranz Maciel; MOTA, Cláudio dos Santos; GUIMARÃES, Marcos Antônio Alves; CAVALCANTE, Suellen de Oliveira; NASCIMENTO, Rômulo Lima do; BEZERRA, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira. Risco cardiovascular e o papel da aptidão física para o bombeiro militar. Revista Susp. Brasília, v. 1, n. 1, p. 113–132, jan./jun. 2021. Disponível em: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358190645. Acesso em 23 out. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56081/2763-9940/revsusp.v1n1.a7
PÉRIARD, Jean‑Daniel; RACINAIS, Sébastien; SAWKA, Michael N. Adaptations and mechanisms of human heat acclimation: Applications for competitive athletes and sports. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, v. 25, Supl. 1, p. 20–38, jun. 2015. DOI: 10.1111/sms.12408. Disponível em: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25943654. Acesso em: 02 ago. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12408
PIRES DA SILVA, A.; TORIANI, S. DOS S.; ROCHA, E. D. DE M.; CARVALHO, P. Desidratação em bombeiros militares após treinamento de combate a incêndio. RBNE - Revista Brasileira de Nutrição Esportiva, v. 12, n. 72, p. 537-541, 26 ago. 2018.
SHIBASAKI, M.; KENNEY, W. L.; et al. Age‑related changes in sweating and cutaneous vasodilation responses to heat stress. Journal of Applied Physiology, v. 116, n. 5, p. 614–624, 2014. Disponível em: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6098859/. Acesso em: 13 nov 2025.
SMITH, D. L. Firefighter fitness: improving performance and preventing injuries and fatalities. Current Sports Medicine Reports, v. 10, n. 3, p. 167–172, 2011. DOI: 10.1249/JSR.0b013e31821a9fec. Acesso em: 02 dez. 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0b013e31821a9fec
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Marcos Antonio da Silva, Wagner da Silva Moreira, Marcos Gorri de Oliveira, Vanessa Berto Gonçalves, Luciano Ferreira, Prof. Dr. Hudson Souza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits the sharing of the work with proper acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this journal;
Authors are authorized to enter into separate, additional agreements for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g., posting in an institutional repository or publishing it as a book chapter), provided that authorship and initial publication in this journal are properly acknowledged, and that the work is adapted to the template of the respective repository;
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post and distribute their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal websites) at any point before or during the editorial process, as this may lead to productive exchanges and increase the impact and citation of the published work (see The Effect of Open Access);
Authors are responsible for correctly providing their personal information, including name, keywords, abstracts, and other relevant data, thereby defining how they wish to be cited. The journal’s editorial board is not responsible for any errors or inconsistencies in these records.
PRIVACY POLICY
The names and email addresses provided to this journal will be used exclusively for the purposes of this publication and will not be made available for any other purpose or to third parties.
Note: All content of the work is the sole responsibility of the author and the advisor.
