Some Health Risks to Firefighters

Abstract

Firefighters face unique occupational health risks caused by the specific nature of their work. They consistently operate in rough work environment with excessive heat, dense smoke, emotionally demanding situations, extreme physical challenges and toxic chemicals. This paper aimed to investigate the working conditions and mental health of firefighters. The paper has four main parts. The first part reports about the main risks to firefighters’ health. The next part is dealing with the posttraumatic stress disorder. The study is mentioning predictors of psychological distress and aspects of the health prevention of firefighters. The final part of the paper is dedicated to the outcomes of the mental health research of firefighters. The main objective of the firefighters’ work is to save lives, extinguish fire and property protection. It really does not matter whether this is a fire burst out in a residential area, industrial plant or their duty is performed at an airplane accident. Their fundamental mission is always the same. Therefore, the paper should be understood in a wider context and applicable on firefighters involved in fire extinguishing of airplanes, cars or boats as well.