Is all sleep, good sleep?

What is “good sleep” to you and your crew? Fireline work and life in fire camp raise barriers to mitigating the physical and mental stresses that accumulate during an extended fire assignment. Improving sleep quality is a powerful lever to manage fatigue. This daily topic aims to highlight the impacts of poor sleep and then generate conversation around what actions we can take to improve sleep while on assignment.

The Challenges (or Barriers?)

Challenges to a good night’s sleep in fire camp include unfamiliar surroundings, noise, lighting, smoke, uncomfortable bedding, temperature fluctuations, and exposure to the elements. Fatigue caused by poor sleep can slow reaction times, reduce capacity of attention and focus, limit short-term memory, and impair judgment. As sleep deprivation and fatigue compound, the resulting declines in cognitive performance can increase the risk for injury and accidents.

Cumulative Fatigue

Fatigue from poor sleep on a long assignment builds up and follows us home. Cumulative fatigue is defined as fatigue from which normal rest does not produce recovery—it remains a core problem among wildland firefighters, and sleep deprivation is a main contributor. Cumulative fatigue can make it difficult to shift from work to home life. Transitioning from the high tempo of a fire assignment to the slower pace of home often requires several nights of restorative sleep to recover mentally, emotionally, and physically. Over the course of a fire season, maintaining honest, open communication about crew member fatigue and a willingness to prioritize sleep and recovery stand to benefit firefighter health, wellbeing, morale, and performance.

Discussion Questions:

•    What are some sleep variables that we can control?
•    How can we maintain good sleep health as we transition from home life to work life?
•    What are some of your personal practices in obtaining good sleep and mitigating fatigue?
•    What are some practices that a crew can put in place?
•    What can a crew achieve by being intentional about where they set up camp?

References:

• NWCG, WFSTAR RT-130, Claudia Aguirre: What would happen if you didn't sleep? | TED Talk
• Excel formatted GAR assessment for sleep, Incident Sleep Area Environment Assessment
• Sleep Hygiene Checklistf
• NWCG, 6 Minutes for Safety, Fatigue & Stress | NWCG
• Work and Fatigue, National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health, Fatigue and Work | Fatigue | CDC
  Yung M, Du B, Gruber J, Hackney A, Yazdani A. Fatigue measures and risk assessment tools for first 
  responder fatigue risk management: A scoping review with considerations of the multidimensionality of 
  fatigue. Safety Science. 2022;154:105839.
• NWCG Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461 (pp. 13-15) 
• Interagency Standards for Fire & Fire Aviation Operations (Red Book) (p. 61)