ARE THE JOB DEMANDS ON PHYSICAL WORK CAPACITY EQUAL FOR YOUNG AND AGING FIREFIGHTERS

The job demands on physical work capacity and the frequency of the fir efighting and rescue tasks were rated by 156 professional firefighters (age range, 22 to 54 years) who responded to a questionnaire. Smoke-d iving requiring the use of personal protective equipment was considere d to demand most aerobic power. The clearing of debris with heavy manu al tools, and roof work set the highest demands on muscular performanc e and motor coordination, respectively. During the past 5 years, 83 to 88% of the respondents had performed these tasks on average four time s a year. The rating and frequency of the tasks were not significantly affected by age. The results suggest that the job demands on physical work capacity remain the same throughout the occupational career of t he firefighters.