Fitness Profiles of Firefighters Who Reported Workers' Compensation: Are Those Who Filed Fit For Duty

Authors

Sage A. Newman, Sam Houston State UniversityFollow
Kaitlyn J. McHahan, Sam Houston State UniversityFollow
Kelly Hines, University at Buffalo, BuffaloFollow
NEWMAN BRIAN, Fort Worth Fire Department, Fort WorthFollow
Micheil Spillane, Sam Houston State UniversityFollow
Michael J. Conner, Front Line Mobile HealthFollow
Drew Gonzalez, Sam Houston State University, HuntsvilleFollow

Abstract

Firefighting demands physical resilience, such as good aerobic capacity (AC) and a healthy body composition, to prevent injuries. Excess fat and low lean mass increase MSK injury risk, mainly strains and sprains. Knowing AC and body factors linked to injuries can help reduce the risk of strain. PURPOSE: We compared the AC profiles of those who filed for workers' compensation (WC) to those who did not. METHODS: Archival data for four hundred and ninety-nine (n = 499) career male (n = 466) and female (n = 28) firefighters were analyzed from annual clinical testing. AC profiles (i.e., VO₂peak) were evaluated using a cycle-based graded exercise test. During the clinical assessment, participants were asked if they had filed for WC, which served as a proxy measure for musculoskeletal (MSK) injury and as a categorical variable to differentiate between those who may have filed due to suffering an MSK-related injury and those who did not. General linear model (GLM) analyses were used for both multivariate and univariate analyses to assess differences across WC groups, by gender x WC, and by age as a covariate. Fisher’s Least Significant Difference (LSD) tests and 95% upper and lower confidence intervals were used to assess pairwise comparisons of means and post-hoc tests. The type I error (p-level) probability was set at 0.05 or less. Partial Eta squared (η_p²) values were used to assess effect size, where values of >0.01 and <0.06 (small effect), >0.06 and <0.14 (medium effect), and >0.14 (large effect). RESULTS: The overall GLM multivariate Wilk’s Lambda revealed no statistically significant effect for the WC group (p = 0.944, η_p² = 0.010) nor WC x gender (p = 0.844, η_p² = 0.016); however, there was a statistically significant effect when age was accounted for (p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.898). The univariate analysis failed to reveal any statistically significant effects for WC or WC × gender for any of the AC variables; however, when accounting for age, all AC variables (except VO₂peak normalized to lean mass; p = 0.177, η_p² = 0.018) were significant. CONCLUSION: While AC was not directly associated with WC injury status, age significantly affected fitness outcomes. This suggests that chronological aging, more than WC history, may have a greater impact on decline and injury risk. Maintaining AC throughout life could reduce age-related declines in performance and injury risk among firefighters.

Recommended Citation

Newman, Sage A.; McHahan, Kaitlyn J.; Hines, Kelly; BRIAN, NEWMAN; Spillane, Micheil; Conner, Michael J.; and Gonzalez, Drew (2026) "Fitness Profiles of Firefighters Who Reported Workers' Compensation: Are Those Who Filed Fit For Duty," International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2: Iss. 18, Article 13.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss18/13