The accident rate in the State Fire Service from 2015 to 2021 related to sports activities was analyzed in relation to the regions of the country per year.

It was observational retrospective descriptive study. The study included analysis of data from the SFS Headquarters -Human Resources Office. Data collected from across the country in the form of an annual analysis of the accident rate. The reports included such information as: the number of accidents, the injured firefighters, the age and length of service of the injured officers, the cause and circumstances of accident (injury), with a breakdown listing individual and group accidents, the length and type of medical treatment given. Events related to officers’ sports activities were selected from the databases provided.

All personal data of officers and of the SFS organizational units they represent are anonymized and the analysis of health and safety reports complies with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, so the opinion of the Bioethics Committee was not requested.

In this study, were analyzed several variables including the number and type of sports accidents by discipline, the year of occurrence of the accidents, and their geolocation data by district. Only injuries to firefighters sustained during service-related sports activities, i.e., while performing their scheduled duty or during sports competitions in which firefighter participated on official assignment (representing his or her organizational unit), were taken into account. Injuries caused by sports activities resulting in a firefighter’s temporary inability to serve resulting from off-duty physical activity were not taken into account. Sports-related injuries to volunteer firefighters (Voluntary Fire Brigade), who also participate in many sports competitions while representing their individual fire protection units (FPUs), were not considered for the analysis.

The observations focused on the entire Polish SFS population. In the time period covered by the analysis, the number of SFS officers was about 30,000 (Table 1) (17). The structure of the Polish State Fire Service is made up of 16 provincial fire departments (each of them with district units), firefighting schools, the Scientific and Research Center for Fire Protection (SRCFP) in Józefów, and the Central Museum of Fire Fighting in Mysłowice (18).

Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the variables. For quantitative variables, the following measures were calculated: mean (M) and standard deviation (SD). For categorical variables, the following structure measures were calculated: number (n) and frequency (%). The method of spatial data visualization in the form of heat maps was also used, using the intensity of colors depending on the characteristics of the event. The maps show the administrative division of the country into 16 districts. The average number of sports accidents in individual disciplines per 1,000 firefighters in subsequent years was compared using one-way ANOVA. The null hypotheses were verified at the assumed type I error rate of 0.05. All statistical calculations were performed using STATISTICA software version 13.3 (CA, United States).

During the observation period, about 30,000 officers were on duty in the SFS, of which about 20% were on daily (8-h) duty, and 80% were on shift (24-h) duty (Figure 1).

Between 2015 and 2021, there were N = 11,332 (Mean: 1617.4; SD: 284.1) accidents in SFS (Figure 1). The accident total covers individual injuries and mass accidents. The number of sports injuries was N = 4,254 (Mean: 532.2; SD: 137.9) and accounted for 37.53% of the total. This group of incidents also covered individual and group accidents, e.g., soccer accidents – jumping to claim an overhead pass and the heads of two firefighters (a striker and a defender from opposing teams) clashing.

Figure 2 depicts a graphical representation of the number of sports accidents per 1,000 employed firefighters in subsequent years, without consideration for the type of sport. This allows for the identification of trends over time. In contrast, Table 2 provides a comparative analysis of the average number of sports accidents per 1,000 employed firefighters across selected sport disciplines. The data is statistically evaluated using an analysis of variance (ANOVA) (Figure 3).

The largest number of health risks is associated with team sports: football 57.16% and volleyball 19.06%, much less basketball (1.01%), which may be related to the lower popularity of this discipline in Poland (Figure 3).

The section “Other” includes individual cases of injuries related to sports activities that were not assigned to specific categories in the database.

Figures 4–7 display spatial characteristics for the regions of Poland with respect to total accidents and 3 selected sports disciplines that generate the most firefighter accidents. The intensity of the phenomenon presented in the figures illustrates the number of sports accidents in each province in each year of observation. Particularly noteworthy is the year 2020 nationwide for fire sports. Accident rate in this sport discipline has fallen to 0 in many provinces, due to restrictions on sports competitions in the wake of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.

Sports injuries account for a significant share of all service-related firefighter accidents. This is due in part to the importance of sports in the profession of firefighting, the number of officers participating in various competitions and the ambition of the competitors wanting to achieve the best possible result in sports competitions. Team sports (soccer, volleyball, and fire sport, which is a multi-stage, technically difficult competition carried out under time pressure, highly competitive with athletes doing their best to achieve the best possible result), proved to be the most injury-prone.

Fire sport verifies the fitness of firefighters in the conditions, which are similar to conditions present in rescue and firefighting operations and it show the specifics of such operations. It requires a lot of physical effort, speed of action, reflexes, poise and teamwork skills. The injury rate for this type of firefighters’ sports activities is relatively high at 11.28%, second only to the popular team sports: soccer 57.16% and volleyball 19.06%. The performance of tasks (i.e., particular events) of fire sport in real-time competition (several teams perform simultaneously), time pressure, and fighting for the best possible result make injuries quite common. This discipline includes 4 competitions:

fire obstacle race – a 100-meter run, including overcoming a wall, unrolling and connecting 2 sections of fire hose, overcoming a balance beam, connecting a hose line to fire fittings,

An example of a situation that led to injury in the fire sport discipline: while performing the main task, during the stage of sucking water from the pool, the flexible fire hose W110 fell out of the firefighter’s hands, the hose “snapped” due to the high pressures generated by the fire pump and the metal connector of the hose hit the competitor in the face causing injury to the upper jaw (cut, bleeding, swelling). The cause of accident – carelessness, time pressure.

The group accident mentioned in the Results section: during a game of soccer, the officers clashed their heads while jumping for the ball. Both of the injured officers suffered cuts to the scalp in the frontal area. The cause of accident: team sport, contact sport, fighting for the ball.

An important issue in responding to injuries of firefighters is providing medical assistance. Firefighters are prepared to carry out medical activities at the level of Qualified First Aid (QFA), so in any case of injury to a firefighter, it is the colleagues who provide assistance first, while waiting for the arrival of the Emergency Medical Team (EMT), if the injured person’s condition requires it (20–22).

Polish and foreign literature list several works on the physical fitness of firefighters, and the influence of fitness on the effective implementation of rescue operations. Garano (23) showed that ball-based team sports played by firefighters while on duty bring financial consequences to the system in the form of prolonged indisposition of injured firefighters, the need for replacements, as well as injury compensation for injured officers. In some cases, an injury suffered during a ball game may be the reason for early retirement. Self-observation revealed, that ball-related sports were the most injury-prone.

There was also made an interesting observation about women in the fire service, where the authors refer to the issue of physical fitness. Higher overall self-assessment of health and fitness were associated with lower likelihood of sustaining an injury, while poor fitness level among firefighters can increase the risk of injury and jeopardize professional readiness (24). The author’s own study did not include a gender breakdown.

Jafari (25) found that lower level of physical fitness increases the risk of sustaining an injury, so improving functional fitness reduces the risk of injury in rescue operations. Similar conclusions were drawn by Cornell (26), noting a link between injuries and physical fitness. Nearly half of the injuries experienced by firefighters are musculoskeletal injuries, and the risk is determined by the functional quality of movement while on duty (e.g., during tasks requiring one-leg movement). Physical development and physical fitness gained during physical activity of firefighters reduces the risks during operations.

Morris (27) did not estimate the number of injuries, but showed that the physical fitness of firefighters is one of the requirements of the profession, and the reaction time of an athletic firefighter has an impact on firefighting operations and critical situations.

In domestic studies, several authors have highlighted sports-related injuries in the firefighter population. The 2020 study covering 2008–2013 showed that the greatest number of firefighter injuries was a result of sports activities. The predominant cause of incidents was improper demeanor or carelessness. The most common injuries from accidents were multiple fractures, broken bones and dislocations (28).

A 2020 survey questionnaire examined the most common health risks while on duty among firefighters. The most common sports injuries came from accidents were multiple fractures, broken bones and dislocations. However, being careful is not the only factor that determines safety during sports activities. Performing a warm-up that is appropriate for a given activity is of great importance, as well as the facilities and sports equipment that is used for the exercises (29).

Wejman points to various causes of occupational injuries sustained by firefighters; among them, overloading the musculoskeletal system as a result of physical activity (30). Wicherek-Brzozowska shares the view of other researchers, namely, that the right level of physical fitness is in many cases a prerequisite for a certain professional role. Firefighters act in situations that require sharp thinking and prudence, quick reaction and high mental and physical endurance (31).

Kozłowski et al. compared the injury rate of professional firefighters and volunteers related to physical activity. An ankle sprain was a common injury in both groups. Our study did not look at volunteer fire departments. However, the injury mentioned by the researchers is common in contact sports (football and volleyball), which may be confirmed in our analysis as well as in other studies (32–34).

According to the authors of the study, a noticeable decrease in sports injuries occurred in 2020 (175 less than the average) and 2021 (60 less than the average). They speculate that this may be related to the restrictions caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. For epidemiological reasons, the annual calendar of sports competitions in the SFS has been significantly limited, and a large number of competitions (mainly team ones) have been suspended at every administrative level (district, province). However, the conclusion is derived exclusively from circumstantial evidence, thus precluding the definitive establishment of a causal relationship between the events in question (35).