Assessing wildland firefighter sleep and fatigue while on fire assignment

Webinar recording.

With increases in the severity and duration of fire seasons, wildland firefighters are working longer shifts all across the west and are experiencing increased fatigue. In this webinar, Randy Brooks will present results from a survey of more than 400 wildland firefighters and a pilot study assessing sleep, fatigue, and body composition of nine wildland firefighters.

Dr. Brooks and environmental science doctoral student Callie Collins outfitted firefighters with Readibands – motion monitors that keep detailed data on sleep and activity. They report firefighters working in impaired conditions more than 42 percent of one month, and a slight gain in body fat and slight loss of muscle mass over the course of the season. Brooks will discuss the implications of these data and their application to helping make the wildland firefighting profession safer.