A series of comprehensive focus group discussions with active firefighters revealed that inconsistencies in incorporating a rigorous physical training program during work hours contributed significantly to the challenges of maintaining functional fitness, particularly strength. This article outlines a process for identifying the specific exercises required to enhance strength, drawing on the expertise and experience of physical trainers. Modified nominal group technique (mNGT) sessions were conducted to identify and rank exercises for five functional strengths (i.e., pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, and dragging). A total of six physical trainers from the firefighter academy were interviewed to 1) identify the skeletal muscles involved in the functional movements using a visual aid; 2) generate ideas for exercises via brainstorming; 3) privately rank the displayed list of exercises for each muscle group involved in each functional movement; and 4) design a physical training programme for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels by manipulating loads. Males dominated the expert group (66.7%) and had a mean of 11.50 (SD 5.20) years of experience in physical training. The mNGTs yielded three top-ranking exercises for each functional strength: 1) Pushing: the push-up, sit-up, and jumping jack; 2) pulling: the push-up, jumping jack, and sit-up; 3) lifting: the jumping jack, push-up, and jumping squat; 4) carrying: the push-up, plank, and sit -up; and 5) dragging: the jumping jack, sit-up, and jumping squat. Then each exercise was designed for the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels by manipulating loads (i.e. additional weight or number of repetitions). This study demonstrated that mNGT is an effective tool for identifying the three top-ranking exercises that address firefighter recruits’ functional strength. The experts chose multi-joint exercises targeting agonist and antagonist skeletal muscle groups and mimicking movements of daily work life. The exercises, corroborated by previous empirical evidence, provide opportunities for common skeletal muscle groupings to be targeted simultaneously to increase cardiovascular adaptations over a shorter period. The physical exercise is now ready to be implemented for piloting purposes among firefighter recruits.

Introduction: Commuting accidents (CAs) caused significant detrimental impacts on the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (FRDM). Therefore, this study aims to identify factors of CA by mainly focusing on environmental factors Methodology: The qualitative data was obtained from FRDM accident investigation reports from five states (Kedah, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan and Johor) between 2017-2021. The data were analysed using content analysis. Results: Four environmental factors that contribute to CA were identified. The factors were environmental conditions (rainfall, strong wind, light glare, and insufficient lighting), time (twilight and night time), road physical conditions (hilly road, curvy, steep, and narrow road, weak manhole cover, soft ground, wet and slippery road), and road environment (traffic congestion and sudden animal crossing) Conclusion These findings provide environment-related hazards input for risk assessment and management of CA in FRDM, as well as valuable information for future research. Therefore, it has the potential to improve road safety for firefighters, the general public, and animals

Introduction: Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is an autosomal recessive disorder that causes accumulation of iron in circulating blood and organs. The disease is associated with H63D, S65C and C282Y variants of the haemochromatosis (HFE) gene and, if not treated can cause organ damage and may prove fatal. The main objectives of the present survey were to screen these genetic variants and establish risk profiles for developing HH in Malays, Chinese and Indians. Methods: A total of two hundred and twenty-two unrelated and healthy individuals together representing Malay, Chinese and Indian ethnicities in Malaysia were scored for the H63D, S65C and C282Y variants using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Results: There are clear differences in H63D, S65C and C282Y allele and genotype frequency distributions between Malays, Chinese and Indians. In particular, H63D is more common in Chinese (5.19%) and Indians (7.29%), while S65C is more common in Malays (1.03%) and Chinese (1.04%). In addition, a susceptibility genotype for HH (the compound heterozygote for C282Y and H63D) was only detected in Indians (0.02%). Conclusion: Overall, our study is the first to provide data on the prevalence of H63D, S65C, and C282Y genetic variants and HH risk profiles for Malays, Chinese and Indians.