College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Term of Award

Spring 2026

Degree Name

Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Health Sciences and Kinesiology

Committee Chair

Emily Langford

Committee Member 1

Bridget Melton

Committee Member 2

Andrew Flatt

Committee Member 3

Barry Joyner

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Firefighting is a highly physical occupation requiring adequate recovery to sustain performance across work bouts. The National Fire Protection Association defines recovery as "the process of returning a member's physiological and psychological states to levels that indicate the person is able to perform additional emergency tasks, be reassigned, or released without any adverse effects” and recommends a 20-minute recovery following the use of one self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). Limited research exists investigating the physiological strain and time course of recovery following firefighting tasks, impact of fitness on recovery. PURPOSE: This study aimed to: (1) evaluate the metabolic response during and after fireground tasks, and (2) examine the relationship between demographics, aerobic fitness, body composition, and the magnitude of recovery. METHODS: Firefighters (FFs; age: 28±7 years; height: 178.1±6.4 cm; body mass: 84.9±17.6 kg; body fat %: 24.7±9.8%; V̇O2max: 40.8±6.9 mL/kg/min) completed laboratory testing and a simulated fireground test (SFGT). Immediately after the SFGT, participants underwent 20 minutes of passive recovery. Heart rate (HR) and body and skin temperature were continuously monitored. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate were measured post-exercise and after recovery. Repeated measures ANOVAs assessed differences across baseline, SFGT, and recovery, with significance set at p < 0.05. Pearson correlations examined relationships between demographics and recovery magnitude (Δ). RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between baseline, SFGT, and recovery for HR, body temperature, blood lactate, and RPE (all p < 0.001). Skin temperature was elevated when comparing recovery to baseline (p = 0.015) and SFGT (p = 0.003). Pearson correlations revealed negative correlations between ΔHR and mass (r = -0.409), body fat % (r = -0.499), and SFGT time (r = -0.410) and ΔRPE against age (r = -0.415), service (r = -0.410), and SFGT time (r = -0.187). A positive correlation was found between ΔHR and VO2max (r = 0.429). CONCLUSIONS: Twenty minutes is not enough time to complete recovery, and those with high physical fitness recovered faster. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: FFs remain physiologically strained after standard recovery protocols, increasing overexertion if asked to reengage prematurely. Future research should investigate thresholds at which reengagement elevates injury risk.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

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