Subject group (N = 38) performances in field tests and simulated work tasks.

The statistical Method (SM) was parametric (P) or non-parametric (NP) (see Methods section). Parametric tests are presented as mean ± standard deviation (min-max). Non-parametric tests are presented as median ± Interquartile range (min-max). Groups marked with different symbols in rows (*, †) are significantly (p<0.01) different (* significant different from †). Investigated work tasks were: Carrying hose baskets in a staircase (Stairs), Hose pulling (Pulling), Demolition at or after a fire (Demolition), Victim rescue (Rescue), and Carrying hose baskets over terrain (Terrain). Data is presented in kilograms (kg), Number of repetitions (N), or seconds (S). a One CW subject was excluded b Two CW subjects were excluded.