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Physical Fatigue and Recovery

Defining Common Terms

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) broadly describes fatigue as "a feeling of weariness, tiredness, or lack of energy." 

Fatigue encompasses multiple dimensions: burnout, cognitive (associated with tasks and sleep), physical, emotional, and perceived fatigue. Here, we focus on understanding physical fatigue and fatigue management. Recovery can be defined as the restoration of health, measured through fatigue levels, functional capacity, and even mood. All these factors are interrelated with firefighter health, well-being, and performance. 

Different stressors lead to physical fatigue, which can build up over time.

  • Short-term fatigue comes from physical exhaustion due to stressors, such as insufficient sleep, physical exertion, poor nutrition or hydration, and environmental conditions over hours and days.
    • Acute fatigue can often be improved with proper rest and recovery.
  • Long-term fatigue occurs when recovery from short-term fatigue does not happen with regular rest.
    • Long-term fatigue typically arises from prolonged stress (weeks and months) without enough recovery time. This may lead to lower productivity, weakened immune response, and other health issues.

Physical Fatigue Management

Firefighters, supervisors, and incident managers need to find ways to reduce the occurrence of fatigue without recovery. We must acknowledge that stress is a necessary stimulus for your body to adjust. For instance, rigorous exercise puts physical stress on your body. And given the opportunity to recover, exercise leads to better aerobic capacity, strength, or endurance. However, you will not see the best results without adequate recovery.

Rest days and light workout days that include sustained pacing, stretching, and warm-up activities have been shown to promote and maintain muscle status while preventing the accumulation of physical stress that can lead to exhaustion. On the fireline, a host of other challenges exist to maintaining optimal nutrition, hydration, and sleep that help mitigate physical fatigue. Explore these in the discussion below. 

Discussion Questions:

In these common situations, how can you and your crew build in recovery strategies or minimize the accumulation of fatigue in these situations? For each, consider the roles of rest, sleep, hydration, nutrition, and environmental conditions.

  • During critical training, including crew training, project work, and 1-2 hours of PT daily.
  • Midsummer with crew available for initial attack and opportunity of one hour of physical training each day.
  • On assignment at a large incident and constructing direct fireline with your crew for 10 straight days. 

References:

Category
Firefighter Health & First Aid

6MFS Suggestion Form


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NWCG Latest Announcements

National Wildland Firefighter Day

Date: July 2, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
National Interagency Fire Center

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) recognizes July 2, 2025, as National Wildland Firefighter Day (NWFFD). Established in 2022, NWFFD honors the dedication of wildland firefighters and support personnel. This day falls within the 2025 Week of Remembrance (June 30 - July 6), providing an opportunity to renew our commitment to wildland firefighter safety while remembering those who have fallen in the line of duty.

NWCG provides leadership to enable interoperable wildland fire operations among federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners. NWCG standards and training establish common practices to contribute to safe, effective, and coordinated interagency wildland fire operations nationwide.

References:

Week of Remembrance

National Wildland Firefighter Day

2025 Week of Remembrance

Date: June 27, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
6 Minutes for Safety Subcommittee

As we approach the 2025 Week of Remembrance (WOR), June 30–July 6, we dedicate this time to reflect on the past incidents from 2015 and honor the fallen through learning. Since its inception in 2014, WOR has honored wildland firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while encouraging critical discussions that reinforce lessons learned.

Throughout the week, we encourage thoughtful and generative conversations—whether in briefing rooms or at tailgates—that promote a culture of continuous learning and safety.

References:

2025 Week of Remembrance: Letter to Leadership

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003 Flame-Resistant Shirt Survey

Date: June 12, 2025
Questions?  Please contact:
Equipment Technology Committee

The U.S. Forest Service National Technology and Development Program (NTDP) is seeking input on the Forest Service-designed flame-resistant (FR) shirt, currently available through the National Interagency Support Cache system and FedMall.

NTDP is conducting a product review to improve future FR shirt designs. As part of this effort, a short survey is now open for federal employees who have worn any of three recent FR shirt models. Feedback will guide design improvements to better meet the needs of wildland firefighters.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act, responses are limited to federal employees. The survey is open through September 12, 2025. 

References:

NWCG Alerts

ETC Equipment Bulletin: 25-003

NEW! S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended) Now Available

Date: June 10, 2025
If you have questions, please visit our FAQ page. 
If your question is not answered there, you can 
submit your question using our Contact Us form. 
 

The S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended), equips new wildland firefighters with essential skills through a mix of online learning and hands-on training. The course features a required online component and an instructor-led exercise, reinforcing online concepts with practical performance-based training.

The course builds competencies in wildland fire operations, safety, and equipment use, applicable across various operational environments. Both the online component and instructor-led field exercise must be completed to receive a certificate of completion. Students are required to finish the prerequisite S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior, before enrolling in S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended).

References:

S-130, Firefighter Training (Blended)

S-190, Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior

Wildland Fire Learning Portal