University of South Florida researchers use advanced technologies to pinpoint physical job demands 

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TAMPA, Fla. (April 24, 2017) — The Firefighter Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) mimics strenuous activities performed in emergency response situations and helps determine whether an applicant is fit enough to become a firefighter. However, there is no previous research analyzing the specific joint movement and muscular activation on an IAFF/IAFC certified CPAT course.

A team of researchers at the University of South Florida School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, led by Charity L. Lane, is kicking off a project using state-of-the-art technology that will provide an in-depth look at muscular activation and skeletal motion in these movements, using telemetric electromyography (EMG) and motion analysis. At each visit, firefighters will wear EMG and motion sensors as they perform each CPAT obstacle and weightlifting exercise. This will enable researchers to compare activation and movement among different weightlifting exercises and firefighter activities.

Motion sensors are connected to St. Petersburg firefighter Kelly Kahle.

“Injury prevention and physical fitness are paramount in the fire service,” Lane said.  “My team and I are dedicated to helping firefighters attain both of these, and I believe that the CPAT results will aid greatly in this goal.”

Since guidance on implementing successful exercise programs for firefighters is minimal, the results of this project are critical to designing exercise programs that match firefighter job requirements, ultimately preventing injury and preserving careers.

The CPAT project is the latest in an ongoing line of research aimed at improving the safety and health of firefighters. The team’s large-scale FEMA grant focused on back injury prevention in firefighters, led by USF Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research Director John Mayer, PhD, is in progress now. Preliminary results are promising, and final results will be available Fall 2017.

St. Petersburg firefighter Kelly Kahle swings a sledgehammer as part of the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT).

Electromyography (EMG) measures electrical activity of joints and muscles during the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT).

-USF Health-
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, the Biomedical Sciences Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs, and the USF Physicians Group. The University of South Florida, established in 1956 and located in Tampa, is a high-impact, global research university dedicated to student success. USF is ranked in the Top 30 nationally for research expenditures among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu

Media Contact:
Tina Meketa, tmeketa@usf.edu or (813) 955-2593

Photos and video by Ryan Noone, University Communications and Marketing

The following story, written by Brian Lott, appeared Feb. 8, 2013, in TECO Energy News. It has been slightly edited.

A partnership between Tampa Electric’s safety team and athletic trainers from the University of South Florida’s Sports Medicine & Athletic Related Trauma (SMART) Institute is scoring points for accident prevention.

 The program came out of a series of presentations to team members about ergonomics given by Dr. Barbara Morris, an adjunct professor of Athletic Training at USF. The enthusiastic response to the presentations among linemen got Morris and Tampa Electric Safety Coordinator Darrell Smith thinking: How could TECO team members get more out of the skills that members of USF’s athletic training team possess? 

Dr. Barbara Morris of the USF Sports Medicine & Athletic-Related Trauma (SMART) Institute with Darrell Smith, Tampa Electric safety coordinator

 “You watch professional sports and you see athletic trainers on the sidelines all the time,” Smith said. “Why wouldn’t we utilize the expertise of athletic trainers to help our people serve our customers and the community?”

 Last year, Smith and Morris put their idea into practice, with USF athletic trainers from the SMART Institute coming to TECO to offer advice to team members about reducing muscle-related injuries. They also treat minor injuries such as sprains and strains that can slow linemen down at work and home – but that aren’t severe enough to merit a trip to the hospital.

 “TECO has nurses who, of course, are great at what they do, but in a lot of cases, nurses don’t have the kind of musculoskeletal expertise that athletic trainers have,” Morris said. “At USF, athletic trainers help train the medical students on musculoskeletal content.”

 The bottom line, Smith stressed, is to make sure every team member stays safe – and to provide treatment to everyone who needs it.

 “Journeymen are tough; the hard work they do to serve customers is their game,” said Morris, who played collegiate fast-pitch softball and even appeared on the TV series American Gladiators. “Plus, a factor working increasingly in in everyone’s favor is that each new generation of journeymen seems more open to the injury-prevention information we can give them.”

 Smith, for his part, played college football.

 “I still feel it,” he laughed, stretching an arm with a wince.

 “Our linemen, guys like that on the front lines – they’re TECO’s star athletes, and part of winning the game is to stay healthy,” Smith said. “It’s our job to help them. So far, with the help of Dr. Morris and her team, it looks like we’re doing things right.”