Abstract

The interaction between significant physical efforts and heat is the main cause of death in firefighters. The protective clothing worn by these workers seems to have a major impact on the increase in cardiorespiratory constraints. In response to a request by the City of Montréal, several organizations participated in a comparative study of different models of uniforms, with the present project being the second of four parts. It involved evaluating the physical stresses related to the wearing of firefighters’ protective clothing: psychophysical perception, oxygen consumption, heart rate, skin temperature, electromyography and humidity. It established a classification for the uniforms studied, which can be used as a reference by Québec fire brigades in choosing those uniforms with the fewest constraints. These findings have also determined that a study on upper limb mobility leads to a more specific evaluation of this clothing.