| Keywords |
Firefighter protective clothing ; Wearer mobility ; Range of motion ; Electromyography |
| Abstract |
This study aimed to investigate the variation in wearer mobility indicated by the range of motion (ROM) and performance of muscles while wearing firefighter protective clothing (FPC). The present study regarded the effects of wearing FPC fire jacket and pants, which form part of FPC, as objective numerical values. Wearer mobility was analyzed by ROM and electromyography (EMG) data, those were obtained by analyzing all experimental motions (shoulder flexion/extension, shoulder adduction/abduction, shoulder rotation, hip flexion/extension, and hip adduction/abduction). The ROM and EMG of nine participants were measured using a 3D Motion Analysis system while they wore FPC or not. The EMG data were analyzed to determine the percentage of maximum voluntary contraction. This study showed that wearing FPC weighing three kilograms significantly decreased ROM (12.5 ± 2.9 %). The decrease in ROM was attributed to the pressure and weight of the FPC. Additionally, the results of EMG occurred by wearing FPC were not demonstrated when comparing with and without wearing FPC. Results of the present study showed that wearing FPC in general decrease the wearer's mobility. |