Article Text
Abstract
Background Firefighters are exposed to a wide range of respiratory hazards during their careers, and respiratory disorders can sometimes result in ill-health retirement (IHR) or death. While papers have reported findings from many countries, most originate from North America and/or are in response to specific incidents (eg ‘9/11’). This is the first report regarding specifically Scottish firefighters
Aim To observe the changes in lung function in a group of male Scottish firefighters during the course of their service, and to determine any differences between firefighters who took IHR, or completed maximum service (MS)
Method Retrospective data from routine ‘over-40’ medical examinations of firefighters who retired on the grounds of IHR or MS between 1985 and 1994 which included lung function data such as Peak Expiratory Flow Rate, (PEFR), Forced Expiratory Volume in one second(FEV1), and Forced Vital Capacity(FVC) were gathered and divided into two groups - those who took IHR, and those who completed MS. The results were expressed as a percentage of predicted values for age, height and male sex.
Results Peak expiratory flow rate
Discussion Both those taking IHR and MS showed a slight improvement in this aspect of lung function during the course of their careers, generally supporting earlier findings of West Sussex and London firefighters.
Declaration of potential conflict of interest: Author was previously Medical Adviser to the Fire and Rescue Service whose data is the subject of this project.