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A Quiet Firehouse

A Quiet Firehouse Objective:Firehouse alarms are so loud that they cause a systemic response, similar to the flight-or-flight response. The purpose of the study was to reduce firehouse environmental stimuli to improve sleep quality and, thus, reduce cardiac burden.Methods:The intervention included restricted unnecessary fire alarms, reduced light levels, and regulated temperature in the bunkroom.Results:Among 24 firefighters, 11 completed the matched post-assessment. Six weeks after implementing the interventions, measures revealed the average lux level dropped from 0.75 to 0.19 lux, P < 0.05, and the presence of elevated blood pressure reduced from 86% to 15%, P < 0.05.Conclusion:Results support that reducing environmental stimuli in firehouses reduces blood pressure, which is much easier than targeting behavior change.Recommendations:On the basis of this pilot study, the practice of routinely activating unnecessary fire alarms in firehouse bunkrooms should be discouraged. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Wolters Kluwer Health

A Quiet Firehouse

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References (24)

Publisher
Wolters Kluwer Health
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
ISSN
1076-2752
eISSN
1536-5948
DOI
10.1097/JOM.0000000000001199
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Objective:Firehouse alarms are so loud that they cause a systemic response, similar to the flight-or-flight response. The purpose of the study was to reduce firehouse environmental stimuli to improve sleep quality and, thus, reduce cardiac burden.Methods:The intervention included restricted unnecessary fire alarms, reduced light levels, and regulated temperature in the bunkroom.Results:Among 24 firefighters, 11 completed the matched post-assessment. Six weeks after implementing the interventions, measures revealed the average lux level dropped from 0.75 to 0.19 lux, P < 0.05, and the presence of elevated blood pressure reduced from 86% to 15%, P < 0.05.Conclusion:Results support that reducing environmental stimuli in firehouses reduces blood pressure, which is much easier than targeting behavior change.Recommendations:On the basis of this pilot study, the practice of routinely activating unnecessary fire alarms in firehouse bunkrooms should be discouraged.

Journal

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine – Wolters Kluwer Health

Published: Feb 1, 2018

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