Physiological monitoring systems for firefighters (a short review)

• Type: Chapter or Part of a Book
• Date: 2022

Authors

D. Bustos (Author) Other; J. C. Guedes (Author) FEUP; J. Santos Baptista (Author) FEUP; Mário Vaz (Author) Other; J. Torres Costa (Author) Other; R. J. Fernandes (Author) FADEUP

Book

Title: Studies in systems, decision and control

Pages: 293-305

ISBN: 978-3-030-89616-4

Publisher: Springer Cham

Indexing

Scopus - 6 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Social sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00V-NQN

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-89617-1_27

Abstract (EN): Background: Firefighters are safety-sensitive professionals exposed to high ambient temperatures, extreme physical exertion, toxic air pollutants, and psychological stress, and, therefore, with high risks to their health. Wearable physiological monitoring systems might be helpful to track their activities and prevent potential health impairments, and research perspectives should explore this applicability. Objective: This study aims to present the preliminary results of a systematic review regarding the occupational applicability of physiological monitoring systems, focusing on the findings among firefighting personnel. Methodology: The PRISMA methodology was used to systematise and filter the results. Five databases were accessed, and 13 keywords were combined to gather studies addressing the continuous examination of one or more physiological variables during real or simulated firefighting tasks. Results/Discussion: A total of 322 items were first retrieved, and 10 articles were selected. In general, publications evidenced the physiological cost of firefighting activities and addressed cardiac and thermal metrics. Results helped to obtain an overall perspective on the up-to-date progress on physiological monitoring among firefighting personnel and established potential directions for further research. Conclusions: With this work, the usefulness of real-time monitoring to understand the physiological demands of firefighters was demonstrated. Future investigations should focus on developing classification models to process physiological recordings optimising work-rest cycles, and preventing further health impairments. This review contributed by providing possible departure points in this regard. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific