Taxa de sudorese e nível de hidratação em bombeiros submetidos à simulação de combate a incêndio e uso de pasta de gelo

Abstract

The Fire Department was created with one of its objectives to fight fires, living daily with the responsibility of safety and protection to society. Among fire conditions, increased body temperature is a factor that directly influences the level of hydration, which can result in dehydration. Failure to compensate for fluid loss can result in serious consequences for the firefighter's health and performance. It is understood that hydration and/or reducing adequate body temperature regulates blood circulation, plasma volume and temperature control. One way to explore this issue is to investigate these variables during a specific type of training carried out by firefighters, where they simulate firefighting, called Real Fire Exercise (EFR), in addition to using a form of intervention to combat dehydration, such as like ice paste. Given the above, the study aimed to analyze the sweating rate and hydration level in firefighters subjected to EFR and the use of ice paste. Twenty-four male firefighters (18 to 50 years old) participated in the study. Participants were divided into two groups: without paste (SP), ingesting 7.5 mL.kg-1 of natural water; and with paste (CP), ingesting 7.5 g.kg-1 of the ice paste with water. After division, the groups are submitted to EFR. The methods used to assess hydration level were the sweating rate and urine color, collected before (pre) and after (post) the EFR. There was a difference between the SP (2.9 ± 0.2 L/h) and CP (0.9 ± 1.9 L/h) groups in terms of sweating rate. In urine coloring, there was a significant difference between the groups, comparing the pre- and post-EFR moments. In the CP group, there was a greater variation in urine color (Color before: 2.4 ± 0.9; color after: 5.1 ± 2.0), due to the CP group having started the EFR more hydrated compared to the group without paste (Color before: 3.8 ± 1.1; color after: 4.1 ± 0.6). The study suggests that the use of ice paste promotes an improvement in the sweating and hydration rate of firefighters after EFR.