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Firefighters play an essential role in our society. The defense of law regulation warrants our safety and delivers necessary aid in times of need and emergencies. Firefighters undergo a lot of physical and psychological health issues and experience a higher level of stress as a part of their job nature (Schuhmann et al., 2022). Sleep disruption, fatigue, exhaustion, and work-related issues are common issues that test a firefighter's mental and physical health (Pluntke et al., 2019).
The first responders on-site in an emergency are firefighter/rescue personnel. In order to deal with life-threatening situations, firefighters, automobile accident victims, and people committing suicide by jumping from tall buildings all rely on the expertise of rescue specialists (Serrano-Ibanze et al., 2022). When a person is forced to deal with life-threatening situations and catastrophes daily, his or her mental and physical health is likely to suffer (Smith et al., 2018).
Apart from carrying out their regular responsibilities, firefighters must participate in rigorous physical and technical training sessions daily. New employees must learn how to use rescue equipment and put their skills to the test (Schuhmann et al., 2022). If the requests are frequent and high stress, there is a potential that the person will develop OCD symptoms. They feel the need to check things repeatedly for damage, leaks, and even flames to prevent making a costly mistake and incurring additional costs. The stress and worry that firefighters encounter on the job, on the other hand, may affect their overall health and well-being (Schuhmann et al., 2022).
Natural disasters, industrial mishaps, and other man-made tragedies are just a few scenarios in which firefighters are called to action (Smith et al., 2019). As part of their professional duties, employees are subjected to a wide range of potentially dangerous situations, with heat, chemical threats, biological hazards, physical strain, and mental stress, resulting in the loss of life or serious bodily injury. Because their jobs are so physically demanding, firefighters are more likely than most people to get heart disease (Smith et al., 2019).
Previous research by Griffith and Roberts (2020) has shown that workplace stress is allied with the amplified danger of cardiovascular disease and death. However, it has also been established that physically active people have a lower risk of developing similar conditions. According to these studies, being stressed at work makes one more likely to get heart disease (Griffith & Roberts, 2020).
Additionally, in addition to increased arterial stiffness, workplace stress can aggravate arterial stiffness, making it a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease. In addition to being a measure of arterial stiffness, the pulse wave velocity (PWV) can predict cardiovascular mortality (Smith et al., 2019). Stress causes the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal axis to become active, which may be linked to cardiovascular disease in some people. The actions of the autonomic nervous system are inhibited as a result of this. Heart rate variability (HRV), which happens when your body is stressed, is now being looked at as a possible biomarker of heart disease (Smith et al., 2019).