The Association between Fear of COVID-19,Obsession with COVID-19,and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Korean Emergency Rescue Firefighters:A Cross-Sectional Study

During the rapid spread of COVID-19,first responders are at risk of being exposed to COVID-19 due to their role in providing first aid and responding to an unspecified number of people.This uncertainty can have adverse mental health effects,such as increased anxiety and fear.This study aimed to investigate the degree of association between fear of COVID-19,obsession with COVID-19,and post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)in emergency rescue firefighters.The participants were 150 emergency rescue firefighters working in Region S,Korea.They filled out self-report questionnaires:The data obtained through the Fear of COVID-19 Scale,Obsession with COVID-19 Scale,and Impact of Event Scale-Revised Korean version were subjected to nonparametric statistical analysis using SPSS WIN 25.0.The study found a significant correlation between emergency rescue firefighters’fear of COVID-19,obsession with COVID-19,and PTSD.Fear and obsession with COVID-19 were higher among first responder firefighters who were directly involved in COVID-19-related tasks.Furthermore,a one-point increase in obsession was associated with a 2.837-point increase in PTSD.Based on the results,we found that there is a need for effective control of obsessions and fears among first responder firefighters during COVID-19,and we suggest that there is a need for mental health care for first responder firefighters during the pandemic through the development and support of programs to prevent and mitigate obsessions.

Psychotraumatic Interventions and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among the Lomé Firefighters

Aim: This study aimed to assess the quality of the psychological experience of mobile emergency teams, in particular firefighters (FF) in Togo and to identify the psychotraumatic interventions (PI) they face. Method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, statistical analysis and discourse content analysis study on the PIs of the Lomé FFs. Results: PIs were found to be: road accidents;defenestrations;self-immolation murders;bloody and non-bloody suicides;well interventions with or without drowning;extensive burns;and paediatric procedures. Adults aged 25 to 45 were at a percentage of 69.1% and with a sex ratio of 7.1. More than half of the respondents (53%) had PTSD. Conclusion: More than half of the respondents had PTSD, however, coping strategies were not explored, suggesting the need for further research.

Modeling Thermal Protective Performance of Multilayer Fabrics for Firefighters

This paper is to report a prediction model for thermal protective performance of multilayer fabrics based on Matlab neural network toolbox. Then a back propagation (BP) neural network model is developed to predict thermal protective performance of multilayer fabrics for firefighters. The network consists of twelve input nodes, six hidden nodes, and one output node. The inputs are weight, thickness, density of warp and weft, limited oxygen index (LOI), and heat conductivity of each-layer fabric. Thermal protective performance (TPP) rating of multilayer fabrics is the output. In this paper, the data from the experiments are used as learning information for the neural network to develop a reliable prediction model. Finnally the model performance is verified, and the proposed model can be applied to predict the thermal protective performance of multilayer fabrics for firefighters.

Comparison of Urinary PAHs among Firefighters and Asphalt Pavers

Objective: The purpose of the investigation is to examine urinary biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure among firefighters and asphalt workers. Methods: Average concentrations of urinary PAHs were used for comparative analysis between groups of firefighters and asphalt pavers. Microsoft Excel was used to perform calculations and the t-test was utilized for statistical analysis. Results: When compared to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standard for smokers and non-smokers, firefighters demonstrated various statistically significant differences in urinary PAH concentrations. Asphalt workers had statistically significant higher urinary concentrations in three PAHs as compared to the NIST smoker mean. Conclusions: Firefighters did not demonstrate a substantial change in urinary PAH metabolite levels when compared to controls. Asphalt pavers experienced concentrations that were in some cases increased by orders of magnitude compared to controls.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Mediated by Exposure Level in French Civil Firefighters Following a Terrorist Attack: Some Hypotheses towards a Structural Model

To date, few studies have investigated the impact of organizational factors such as organizational status or the rank of firefighters on the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a terrorist attack. To fill this gap in the scientific literature, this field study aimed to investigate the consequences of terrorist attacks on firefighters’ psychological health in terms of PTSD. Data were collected in France following two terrorist attacks. PTSD was assessed with the PCL-S (DSM-IV) 3 to 6 months after the events. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) with existing PTSD models were inconclusive, leading us to find a two-factor model via an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). A cluster analysis showed different symptom profiles that were influenced by the exposure level. Elements for a structural model explaining PTSD symptoms are proposed and suggest a central role of the exposure level. Firefighters I/II represented an at-risk sub-population, suggesting that PTSD was mainly experienced among those who performed tasks not common to their occupation.

Between the Craft and the Mud:An Analysis of the Work and Health Relationship of Firefighters in the Breach of the Córrego do Feijão Dam-Brumadinho/MG

Faced with the rupture of the Vale S.A.tailings dam that hit the city of Brumadinho(MG),the article sought to better understand the organisation of work of military firefighters who participated in the search and rescue operation and the relationship between work and health present in this scenario.This is qualitative research with a focus on the subjective production of the speeches of seven firefighters who were interviewed individually with a semi-structured script,using as a basis of analysis the ergological perspective and the productions of the psychodynamics of work.The firefighters experienced a scenario with risks of injury,contamination,and even death.In the interviews,they showed that the more than twelve hours of work were responsible for sleep problems during and after the performance,as well as the food provided and the lack of time for physical exercise proved to be aggravating factors for their health.Working in the tailing’s mud combined the development of musculoskeletal problems and anxiety,due to the possibility of contamination by metals present in the mud.The work relationships show a high degree of trust and recognition between the firefighters and the affected population,which helped in the motivation and continuation of the operation until the present moment.The work in this operation that gained national prominence was responsible for the feeling of pride and for feeling more capable and prepared to act in other disasters.This research is expected to broaden the discussion about the work-health relationship of military firefighters exposed to disasters,as well as serve as a subsidy to encourage the creation of public policies focused on the health of these workers.

Virtual reality for immersive multi-user firefighter-training scenarios

Background Virtual reality(VR)applications can be used to provide comprehensive training scenarios that are difficult or impossible to represent in physical configurations.This includes team training for emergency services such as firefighting.Creating a high level of immersion is essential for achieving effective virtual training.In this respect,motion-capture systems offer the possibility of creating highly immersive multi-user training experiences,including full-body avatars.Methods This study presents a preliminary prototype that helps extin-guish a virtual fire on a container ship as a VR training scenario.The prototype provides a full-body and multi-user VR experience based on the synthesis of position data provided by the motion-capture system and orientation data from the VR headsets.Moreover,the prototype facilitates an initial evaluation of the results.Results The results confirm the value of using VR for training procedures that are difficult to implement in the real world.Furthermore,the results show that motion-capture-based VR technologies are particularly useful for firefighting training,in which participants can collaborate in difficult-to-access environments.However,this study also indicates that increasing the immersion in such training remains a challenge.Conclusions This study presents a prototypical VR application that enables the multi-user training of maritime firefighters.Future research should evaluate the initial results,provide more extensive training scenarios,and measure the training progress.

Surviving rate of graphs and Firefighter Problem

The Firefighter Problem on a graph can be viewed as a simplified model of the spread of contagion,fire,rumor,computer virus,etc.The fire breaks out at one or more vertices in a graph at the first round,and the firefighter chooses some vertices to protect.The fire spreads to all non-protected neighbors at the beginning of each time-step.The process stops when the fire can no longer spread.The Firefighter Problem has attracted considerable attention since it was introduced in 1995.In this paper we provide a survey on recent research progress of this field,including algorithms and complexity,Firefighter Problem for special graphs(finite and infinite)and digraphs,surviving rate and burning number of graphs.We also collect some open problems and possible research subjects.

Exploring the criteria and factors affecting firefighters’resilience:A qualitative study

Purpose:Firefighters are exposed to high levels of occupational risk factors,such as safety risks,chemical,ergonomic,and physical hazards that may jeopardize their lives.To overcome these hazards,firefighters must be physically,mentally,and personally fit to work.This study aimed to explore the criteria and factors affecting firefighters'resilience based on stakeholders’experiences.Methods:This qualitative study was carried out using conventional content analysis.In total,21 face-to-face interviews were conducted by firefighters who were experienced in the field.The interviews were carried out from July 2019 to January 2020.The data were collected using 3 unstructured interviews and then resumed by 18 semi-structured interviews.Data analysis was done using Graneheim method.Results:The participants had more than 5 years of experience in the field of search and rescue.The extracted codes through data analysis were classified into 3 main categories(individual,organizational,and social factors),9 sub-categories(mental,physical,occupational,managerial,colleagues-related,equipment-related,environmental,community-related,and family-related factors),as well as 19 sub-sub-categories and 570 codes.Conclusion:Firefighters'personality,physical condition,behavior and psychological characteristics can affect their resilience along with organizational and management factors that play significant role in people's safety.Developing a tool for assessing resilience can help decision makers to have a real depict of firefighters'job qualifications.

Computer-Based Estimation of Spine Loading during Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus Carriage

Firefighters’low back disorders(LBDs)are closely related to excessive spine loading when using the self-contained breathing apparatus(SCBA)continuously.The purpose of this study was to quantify firefighters’spine loading and evaluate the effects of strap lengths of SCBA on altering spine loading.Computer-based musculoskeletal models of three varying-strapped SCBA conditions and a control condition(CC)with no SCBA equipped were developed.The model was driven using three-dimensional(3 D)inertial motion capture data from twelve male subjects performing a walking task and the predicted ground reaction force(GRF).Electromyography(EMG)activities were also recorded to validate the results from the model.The 4 th-5 th lumbar vertebra(L4/L5)joint reaction forces,as well as erector spinae and rectus abdominis forces,were finally obtained.Results demonstrated that carrying SCBA significantly increased the compressive force and anteroposterior shear force at the spine.The risk of potential LBDs increased by about 17.77%.Dynamic balance of erector spinae and rectus abdominis contraction was also disturbed when carrying SCBA,indicating a higher risk of spine muscle strain.Adjustment of SCBA strap length was an efficient method to influence spine loading.The medium-fitting strap(MS)with a length of around 101 cm generated minimum joint reaction forces and achieved the optimum dynamic balance of spine muscle contraction,which was recommended for firefighters.

Causes and detection of coalfield fires, control techniques, and heat energy recovery: A review

Coalfield fires are considered a global crisis that contributes significantly to environmental destruction and loss of coal resources and poses a serious threat to human safety and health. In this paper, research related to the initiation, development, and evolution of coalfield fires is reviewed. The existing detection and control techniques of coalfield fires are also reviewed. Traditional firefighting is associated with waste of resources, potential risks of recrudescence, potential safety hazards, extensive and expensive engineering works, and power shortages. Recently,coalfield fires have been recognized as having significant potential for energy conservation and heat energy recovery. Thermoelectric power generation is regarded as a suitable technology for the utilization of heat from coalfield fires. The extraction of heat from coalfield fires can also control coalfield fires and prevent reignition leading to combustion. Technologies for absorbing heat from burning coal and overlying rocks are also analyzed. In addition, the control mode of "three-region linkage" is proposed to improve firefighting efficiency. Integrating heat energy recovery with firefighting is an innovative method to control coalfield fires.

Pressure-Dependent Models in Ship Piping Systems

This paper aims to evaluate the feasibility of pressure-dependent models in the design of ship piping systems.For this purpose,a complex ship piping system is designed to operate in firefighting and bilge services through jet pumps.The system is solved as pressure-dependent model by the piping system analysis software EPANET and by a mathematical approach involving a piping network model.This results in a functional system that guarantees the recommendable ranges of hydraulic state variables(flow and pressure)and compliance with the rules of ship classification societies.Through this research,the suitability and viability of pressure-dependent models in the simulation of a ship piping system are proven.

Optimal Spatial Allocation of Initial Attack Resources for Firefighting in the Republic of Korea Using a Scenario Optimization Model

【Title】 This study explores the optimal spatial allocation of initial attack resources for firefighting in the Republic of Korea. To improve the effectiveness of Korean initial attack resources with a range of policy goals, we create a scenario optimization model that minimizes the expected number of fires not receiving a predefined response. In this study, the predefined response indicates the number of firefighting resources that must arrive at a fire before the fire escapes and becomes a large fire. We use spatially explicit GIS-based information on the ecology, fire behavior, and economic characterizations important in Korea. The data include historical fire events in the Republic of Korea from 1991 to 2007, suppression costs, and spatial information on forest fire extent. Interviews with forest managers inform the range of we address in the decision model. Based on the geographic data, we conduct a sensitivity analysis by varying the parameters systematically. Information on the relative importance of the components of the settings helps us to identify “rules of thumb” for initial attack resource allocations in particular ecological and policy settings.

Introduction of firefighting methods in U.S. underground mines

Underground mine fire always exists since the mining activity was practiced.It poses a severe safety hazard to the mine workers and may also cause a tremendous economic loss to the mines.Methods for controlling and extinguishing fires in underground mine have long been studied and there have been significant improvements.In order to know clearly about the firefighting technology used,this paper summarizes most of the underground mine firefighting methods used in the United States the past 150 years.This paper describes not only the accepted firefighting theories,but also the technologies,both direct and indirect attacking,in accordance to regulations or codes,with special attention is given to the indirect attack method and its related technologies.Further research needed is also briefly discussed at the end of this paper.

Research on the effect of the component proportion in the new water mist additive on firefighting performance

Water mist technology provides efficient firefighting performance while there is still room for improvement. So varieties of additives have been studied in recent years both at home and abroad. The self-made additives are used to compare the firefighting performance of diesel and heptane fire in open space. By adjusting the concentration of substance in the additives and conducting the experiment under the pressure of 0.3 MPa,0.5 MPa and 0.7 MPa,extinguish time and temperature are measured in the experiment. Through the experiments using different fuels,it can be found when the fuel is heptane that has a lower ignition point and a higher evaporation rate, the water mist additive can still significantly improve the firefighting performance. According to the data based on different concentrations of fluorinated surfactants,we find that fluorinated surfactants are the main substance to improve the performances by changing physical property of water mist. Optimal proportion of the additives for firefighting performance is found by experiment results.

Virtual fire drill system supporting co-located collaboration

Background Due to the restriction of display mode,in most of the virtual reality systems with multiple people in the same physical space,the program renders the scene based on the position and perspective of the one user,so that other users just see the same scene,resulting in vision disorder.Methods To improve experience of multi-user co-located collaboration,in this study,we propose a fire drill system supporting co-located collaboration,in which three co-located users can collaborate to complete the virtual firefighting mission.Firstly,with multi-view stereoscopic projective display technology and ultra wideband(UWB)technology,co-located users can roam independently and watch virtual scenes through the correct perspective view based on their own position by wearing dedicated shutter glasses,thus carrying out different virtual tasks,which improves the flexibility of co-located collaboration.Secondly,we design simulated firefighting water-gun using the micro-electromechanical system sensor,through which users can interact with virtual environment,and thus provide a better interactive experience.Finally,we develop a workbench including a holographic display module and multi touch operation module for virtual scene assembly and virtual environment control.Results The controller can use the workbench to adjust the virtual layout in real time,and control the virtual task process to increase the flexibility and playability of system.Conclusions Our work can be employed in a wide range of related virtual reality applications.

A Method for the Application of Numerical Simulations during Firefighting Operations Using Pre-Simulated, Model-Based Fire Scenarios

The spread of fire and smoke during a fire incident plays a crucial role in rescuing people from the burning building. So it is important for the decision makers (the head of rescue staff) to get a prediction about the spread of fire inside the building through computational techniques like numerical fire simulations. But these techniques require advanced mathematical knowledge and are very time consuming. This paper presents a new method which employs a set of pre-simulated and model-based scenarios to find the closest one to the real fire and present its results to the decision makers. For this purpose, we shift the performance consuming numerical fire simulations into a former phase by integration of these simulations into the planning process of the building. This is realized by enhancing the methods of Building Information Modeling (BIM). To provide the fire simulation results during a real case, our new concept includes a scenario database where all simulated fire scenarios will be collected. In a real case, a special search algorithm will go through this database to find the closest pre-simulated fire scenario to the real fire on the basis of reported information from the burning building.

Aerial refueling scheduling of multi-receiver and multi-tanker under spatial-temporal constraints for forest firefighting

Forest fires pose a significant threat to human life and property,so the utilization of unmanned aircraft systems provides new ways for forest firefighting.Given the constrained load capacities of these aircraft,aerial refueling becomes crucial to extend their operational time and range.In order to address the complexities of firefighting missions involving multi-receiver and multi-tanker deployed from various airports,first,a fuel consumption calculation model for aerial refueling scheduling is established based on the receiver path.Then,two distinct methods,including an integrated one and a decomposed one,are designed to address the challenges of establishing refueling airspace and allocating tasks for tankers.Both methods aim to optimize total fuel consumption of the receivers and tankers within the aerial refueling scheduling framework.The optimization problem is established as nonlinear optimization models along with restrictions.The integrated method seamlessly combines refueling rendezvous point scheduling and tanker task allocation into unified process.It has a complete solution space and excels in optimizing total fuel consumption.The decomposed method,through the separation of rendezvous point scheduling and task allocation,achieves a reduced computational complexity.However,this comes at the cost of sacrificing optimality by excluding specific feasible solutions.Finally,numerical simulations are carried out to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methods.These simulations yield insights crucial for the practical engineering application of both the integrated and decomposed methods in real-world scenarios.This comprehensive approach aims to enhance the efficiency of forest firefighting operations,mitigating the risks posed by forest fires to human life and property.

Objective-level resilience assessment of circular roadway tunnels with reinforced concrete liners for vehicle fire hazards

A framework is presented to quantify the objective-level resilience of reinforced concrete liners of circular tunnels when exposed to enclosed vehicle fire hazards.By assessing the loss of functionality due to fire-induced damage,the framework enables a decision-basis evaluation of the efficiency of various fire mitigation methods for spe-cific tunnel conditions.In this study,the fire-induced damage of concrete tunnel liners due to strength loss and spalling is stochastically simulated and classified based on typical post-fire repair procedures and damage evalu-ation.The resilience assessment is conducted using Monte Carlo Simulation in combination with a fast-running tool for calculating the thermal impact from vehicle fires on the inside surface of the tunnel liner(developed by the authors in previous work).The proposed approach accounts for uncertainties associated with both the vehicle fire(particularly the combustion energy)and the tunnel conditions(i.e.,geometry,dimensions,and the presence of longitudinal ventilation and/or fixed fire-fighting systems(FFFS)).A parametric case study is used to quantitatively demonstrate the effectiveness of FFFS for reducing post-fire losses of tunnel functionality.Other parameters such as tunnel dimensions,traffic restrictions for vehicles with heavy fire hazard risk,and installation or upgrade of the tunnel ventilation system show somewhat less effectiveness for reducing fire-induced damage.

The role of emergency incident type in identifying first responders' health exposure risks

Fire-based emergency management service(EMS)personnel are dispatched to various incidents daily,many of which have unique occupational risks.To fully understand the variability of incident types and how to best pre-pare and respond,an exploration of the U.S.coding system of incident types is necessary.This study uses potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2 as a case example to understand if and how coding categories for incident call types may be updated to improve data standardization and emergency response decision making.Researchers received emergency response incident data generated by three fire department computer-aided dispatch(CAD)systems between March and September 2020.Each incident was labeled EMS,Fire,or Other.Of the 162,766 incidents,approximately 8.1%(n=13,144)noted potential SARS-CoV-2 exposure within their narrative descriptions of which 86.3%were coded as EMS,9.9%as Fire,and 3.9%as Other.To assess coding variability across incident types,researchers used the original 3-incident type variable and a new 5-incident type variable reassigned by researchers into EMS,Fire,Other,Hazmat,and Motor Vehicle.Logit regressions compared differences in potential exposure using the 3-and 5-incident type variables.When evaluating the 3-incident type variable,those respond-ing to a Fire versus an EMS incident were 84%less likely to be associated with potential exposure to SARS-Cov-2.For the 5-incident type variable,those responding to Fire incidents were 77%less likely to be associated with a potential exposure than those responding to EMS incidents.Changes in potential exposure between the 3-and 5-incident type models show the need to understand how incident types are assigned.This demonstrates the need for data standardization to accurately categorize incident types to improve emergency preparedness and response.Results have implications for incident type coding at fire department municipality and national levels.