Evaluation of the Effects of Various Clothing Conditions on Firefighter Mobility and the Validity of those Measurements Made

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to compare the mobility of firefighters wearing different combinations of protective clothing and evaluate the validity of three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis, subjective evaluation and electromyography (EMG) for such analyses. Both comfort and mobility were subjectively evaluated. The 3D motion analysis program used in the study examines seven experimental movements. Experimental ensembles were prepared for four experimental conditions: CO, standard inner uniform + firefighter clothing and gear; ST, inner uniform comprising short pants and a short-sleeved T-shirt + firefighter clothing and gear; SC, standard inner uniform + firefighter clothing and gear + self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA); MO, wet standard inner uniform + firefighter clothing and gear. The short pants uniform did not increase range of motion (ROM). However, participants felt comfortable and mobile in ST. The ROM results of SC showed that SCBA restricted whole body movements by almost 13.7%. Mobility of the lower body was decreased more than that of the upper body while wearing the wet inner uniform with firefighter clothing (17.4% vs. 11.1%). Whole body ROM was decreased by 9.5% while wearing MO. The EMG results did not significantly differ among all conditions. The weight of the SCBA and the friction of wet clothing significantly influenced mobility. Measuring ROM using 3D motion analysis was more effective than subjective evaluation and EMG.