A Model for Estimating Thermal Stress and Recovery Cycles for Firefighters

Abstract

The Thermal Stress Index (TSI) was developed to provide a means for rapidly estimating the physiological severity of exposure to extreme temperatures for shipboard firefighters and to provide a rational means for finding their most effective work rest cycles. It was meant to be an adjunct to discrete event simulation models of human behavior in complex environments. In this way, a modeling tool with the TSI equation could be used to recommend the number of personnel needed onboard for fighting shipboard fires, the least recovery time needed before they could be returned to duties and to estimate the extent of heat casualties while an onboard fire is fought. As a stand-alone algorithm, the TSI could assist management of fire crews using a simple spreadsheet program to estimate safe exposure and recovery times for forest fires, such as those that annually burn US forests and major building fires.

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