Assessment of firefighters’ safety during exercises and training in a smoke chamber

• Autorzy: Saleta Damian , Dudek Paweł , Łapicz Marcin

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.5604/01.3001.0054.8384

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

In the process of vocational training, firefighters undergo a series of refresher exercises and tests (examinations) to verify their resilience to factors that may be encountered during actual rescue operations. One such training is smoke chamber exercises and tests, which examine firefighters’ resilience to psychophysical stresses in conditions close to real life. Orientation, the ability to move in smoke-logged conditions and in confined spaces are all tested during improvement drills. This article presents the results of a study aiming to establish the safety level of firefighters during exercises and tests in a smoke chamber, based on selected criteria, which comprised the number of firefighters on the training path, the length of the training path, the capacity of the compressed air cylinders, the change in heart rate while traversing the training path, the BMI index, the knowledge of operating respiratory protection equipment (RPE), the physical workload, the rate of air consumption while traversing the training path and the cognitive abilities of the test participants. This paper examines legal considerations and occupational risks for firefighters during smoke chamber exercises and tests. Identified organisational factors and individual behaviours affecting the safety of trainees and techniques of risk-reducing measures are presented, as well as firefighters’ own safety assessment criteria. Also presented are the results of experimental, survey and psychometric studies. The research comprised a group of 50 firefighters, both professional and volunteer, including 46 men and four women. The results of the research work showed that the effect of short-term exposure to a psychophysical load generated by smoke chamber conditions has a significant impact on cognitive abilities. It was shown how organisational factors and the individual behaviour of each firefighter affect their safety during smoke chamber exercises and tests, and solutions were proposed to improve this safety.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

firefighter safety; smoke chamber training; air consumption rate; respiratory protective equipment

• Wydawca: Szkoła Główna Służby Pożarniczej
• Czasopismo: Zeszyty Naukowe SGSP / Szkoła Główna Służby Pożarniczej
• Rocznik: 2024
• Tom: Nr 92 (tom 1)
• Strony: 57--83
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 36 poz., rys., tab.

Twórcy

autor

Saleta Damian

• Fire University, Safety Engineering and Civil Protection Faculty, Warsaw, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1418-6996

autor

Dudek Paweł

• Non-commissioned Officer School of the State Fire Service in Bydgoszcz, Poland

autor

Łapicz Marcin

• Fire University, Safety Engineering and Civil Protection Faculty, Warsaw, Poland

• https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1890-9410

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Uwagi

Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa nr POPUL/SP/0154/2024/02 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki II" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki (2025).