CARERC Pilot: Occupational Stress Exposure, Sleep Quality, and Musculoskeletal Injury in Urban Firefighters

Occupational stress exposure, sleep quality, and musculoskeletal injury in urban firefighters J. Jelmini (PI) and N. Heebner (Co-I) Abstract Firefighting has been cited as one of the most hazardous job occupations in the United States due to its physical demand and its increased risk exposure (IAF, 1999; Walton et al., 2003). The nature of the job demands long periods of work with often minimal amounts of quality sleep throughout a shift. In fact, sleep-deprived firefighters are twice as likely to sustain an on-duty injury (Yook, 2019). Furthermore, firefighters with poor sleep quality report increased musculoskeletal disorders and higher occupational stress scores (Abbasi et al., 2018). Stress exposure is another factor that has been thought to be associated with lack of quality sleep and injury; however, it remains unclear whether emergency call volume and frequency of emergency response calls effects on- or off-duty sleep quality. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of emergency call volume and the call frequency on stress exposure and sleep quality among urban firefighters. This pilot study will provide critical data reflecting potential areas that may influence musculoskeletal injury and the potential use of wearable technology for long-term physiological monitoring in a firefighter model. A multidisciplinary team of clinical researchers and healthcare providers familiar with a tactical athlete population will be created to accomplish this project. The aims of this project include: 1) Determining if there is a difference between physiological stress in fire stations with high versus low emergency call volume, 2) Determining if there is a difference between firefighter emergency call volume and sleep quality scores while using a novel wearable sensor during sleep. The results of this project will provide critical data reflecting the impact of monitoring occupational stress exposure as well inform future studies on underlying factors influencing musculoskeletal injury in firefighting.