Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Fire Fighters and EMS ... - NAEMT

<strong>Effects</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Sleep</strong> <strong>Deprivation</strong> on Fire Fighters and EMS Responders
and second day <strong>of</strong> the 48 hours were compared, during day
two, there was a significant increase in injuries and a trend
toward increased EMS-related complaints (3 vs. 8 and 16 vs.
26, respectively). Sick leave decreased with the longer format,
which also was reflected in decreased need for overtime.
The majority <strong>of</strong> fire fighters and their families liked the 48-on/
96-<strong>of</strong>f schedule. Fire fighters felt that it interfered significantly
less with family, leisure and social activities. And although fire
fighters reported that their spouses were less supportive <strong>of</strong> the
48 hour schedule, when families directly were asked, they
reported general satisfaction with the longer format. Findings
from an internet survey <strong>of</strong> citizen feedback were positive
concerning the fire department performance both before and
after the change. Importantly, the percentage <strong>of</strong> fire fighters
supporting the change went from 64 percent before the switch
to 86 percent after the 6 month trial interval.
Commuting home following a prolonged shift may be a
vulnerable time, with an increased risk <strong>of</strong> motor vehicle crashes
(see page 29). No departments have reported systematic
information relating to fatigue on commutes home following the
extended hours <strong>of</strong> either the 24 or 48 hour shift format.
4.4 Work Hours and Fire Fighters
The general effects <strong>of</strong> long work hours are reviewed in Section
1. For fire fighters, longer work hours have been related
specifically to stress and injury rate. The concept <strong>of</strong> ‘stress’ is
complex, and current worksite models consider stress affected by several factors in addition to
work hours, such as the job context and organization, relationships among workers and management
and features <strong>of</strong> the work itself (Salazar & Beaton, 2000). Among fire fighters, work stress is
compounded by critical incidents and life threatening events, and in general, those latter issues are
reported as the greatest sources <strong>of</strong> fire fighter stress (Beaton et al., 1999).
Disrupted sleep patterns are a recognized source <strong>of</strong> occupational stress,
and fire fighters are not immune from those adverse consequences. A
survey <strong>of</strong> more than 700 fire fighters assessed job stressors and found
that sleep disturbances (disruption, poor quality <strong>of</strong> sleep, not enough)
were ranked as an important cause <strong>of</strong> stress by approximately one-third
<strong>of</strong> fire fighters (Murphy et al., 1994). The participants were pr<strong>of</strong>essional
fire fighters from the Pacific Northwest who responded to an anonymous
mailed survey that used a standard instrument indexing occupational
stress. Most were male, and on average, they had been fire fighters for
12 years. Other studies also have noted fire fighters’ work structure as a
source <strong>of</strong> stress (Murphy et al., 2002; Murphy et al., 1999; Oginska-
Bulik, 2005).
Fire fighters and EMS responders
may be called upon to work
long hours with disasters or other
unforeseen occurrences. For example,
the headlines in the September
2, 2005 Times-Picayune
read, “Katrina Doesn’t Stop Fire
Fighters from Working Around
the Clock,” and the article reported
that “men and women <strong>of</strong>
the fire service along the Gulf
Coast have truly put themselves
on the frontline to protect their
communities by working endless
shifts, throughout the day and
night, before, during and now
after this horrendous storm.”
Extended work hours
refers to shifts longer
than the typical eight
hours. Additional information
about the
advantages and disadvantages
<strong>of</strong> long work
hours is found in Section
5.
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