Applied ergonomics
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There is a high rate of injury associated with firefighting: in 2016, 21% of all fireground injuries were attributed to falls, jumps and slips. Examining factors related to balance, including experience in wearing firefighter gear, may assist in reducing injury related to falls. ⋯ In spite of the altered center of balance created by breathing apparatus and the altered visual cues created by the facemask, wearing firefighter gear did not substantively affect anterior-posterior postural stability or motor response to linear translation in rested, healthy individuals. Firefighters and non-firefighters performed similarly across all except one of the experimental conditions.