(38) PUTTING OUT MENTAL FIRES: COGNITIVE STRATEGIES OF FIRE ATHLETES.

Assessment of mental strategies is important for  tactical athletes and sport scientists who work with them. Similar to traditional sport athletes, fire athletes must maintain focus, visualize success, and regulate psychophysiological responses to stress. Unlike traditional sport athletes, responses to emergent dangers require mental management and training scenarios for effective extrication of endangered individuals, fire abatement, and emergency medical care. 

Purpose: The purpose was to assess: How do fire athletes manage emergent situations to cope with the “mental fires” that require immediate but thoughtful actions?     

Methods: Interviews were performed wiht 41 fire athletes related to preparation for response, in route thinking, scene assessment, and debriefing after returning to the firehouse. 

After compiling the interviewers and triangulation with a second researcher, categories were formed that represented the different responses. Then careful placement and labeling of themes was performed. Tallies of responses were performed for the first two questions. Representations of these themes were categorized in tables.

Results: Preparation for the emergency included route planning, recognizing increased adrenaline/excitement, assessing the seriousness of the emergency, listening for the sounds that convey type of emergency, and assessment of truck equipment. On the scene, fire athletes reported doing a windshield survey of the scene, determining what the safest approach was, relying on training, what equipment was needed, and what needed to be done. Also, reliance on training helped fire athletes to stay calm and wait for instructions. After the emergency, fire  athletes returned to the station, responses included talking with peers, talking with family, tuning it out/burying it, practicing hobbies, laughing about funny or unique parts of the call, replaying what went wrong, or listening to music/podcasts.  

Conclusions: Fire athletes reported managing the mental stress of emergency responses by relying on training, reading the auditory and visual cues practiced in scenarios, and self and equipment assessment. During the response, determining a safe approach and proceeding with caution but urgency were expressed. Debriefing after the response included a mix of social support seeking, individual reflection/distraction, and denial.   

Practical Applications: The unique demands of fire athletes provide a contrast to traditional sport athletes that include “high stakes” responses, a determination for safety first, and more heavy reliance on strategic equipment use. For practical application, training scenarios, reliance on discipline for success over reaction, and assessment of available assets could apply to traditional athlete training. It was further identified that the fire athletes may need mental health support for coping with multiple emergency exposures.  Further research is needed to assist these emergency responders manage the “mental fires”of rapid response.   

   

Acknowledgements: None