Effects of Aquatic Training on the Job Related Physical Fitness and Pulmonary Function on Fire Fighters in KOREA

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of aquatic exercise on the job re-lated physical fitness and pulmonary function ability of fire fighters, and to confirm that the improvement of work performance and breath-ing ability of fire fighters can be achieved through aquatic exercise. In order to accomplish this purpose, the subjects were selected from 30 fire fighters working at C city, and the effects of the aquatic exercise on the work job related physical fitness and pulmonary function ability of fire fighters were as follows. The participants were divided into two groups: Exercise group (n=15) and Control group (n=15). The aquatic training for 12 weeks. The results of this study were as follows: First, As for the job related physical fitness, there were significantly increased in Grasping power, sit-up, seated hip adductor stretching, back strength, standing long jump and 20m round trip running in the exercise group. Second, As for the gait Ability, there were significantly increased in speed and stepin the exercise group. As conclusions, this study confirmed that the aquatic training could improve the job related physical fitness and pulmonary function of fire fighters. However, there is a need for more specific exercise programs to be developed for the continual improvement of athletic performance in aquatic training along with further studies to confirm the physiological benefits of those programs.