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Review
. 2024 Feb 8;12(4):440.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare12040440.

Firefighter Health: A Narrative Review of Occupational Threats and Countermeasures

Drew E Gonzalez  1 , Sarah N Lanham  2 , Steven E Martin  1 , Richard E Cleveland  3 , Thad E Wilson  4 , Emily L Langford  2   5 , Mark G Abel  2
Affiliations
Review

Firefighter Health: A Narrative Review of Occupational Threats and Countermeasures

Drew E Gonzalez et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Structural firefighters are responsible for protecting properties and saving lives during emergency operations. Despite efforts to prepare firefighters for these hazardous occupational demands, the unfortunate reality is that the incidence of health morbidities is increasing within the fire service. Specifically, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health disorders are among the most documented morbidities in firefighters. Pubmed and Google Scholar search engines were used to identify peer-reviewed English language manuscripts that evaluated firefighters' occupational health threats, allostatic factors associated with their occurrence, and evidence-based strategies to mitigate their impact. This narrative review provides fire departments, practitioners, and researchers with evidence-based practices to enhance firefighters' health.

Keywords: cancer; cardiovascular disease; exposure; mindfulness; nutrition; obesity; physical activity; sleep.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors associated with increased cardiovascular strain and subsequent risk of sudden cardiac event among firefighters.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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