Latest News
The International Association of Chiefs of Police conference
The IACP conference, which has been running for 126 years was attended by around 20,000 delegates, had over 660 exhibitors and was addressed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Dr Orr showcased the work conducted by the TRU on fitness assessments and testing, together with TRU collaborators Dr Jay Dawes (Oklahoma State University and Bond Adjunct), Dr Robert Lockie (California State University-Fullerton) and LT Joe Dulla (LA Sheriff’s Department and new HDR student at Bond University) who presented the translation of this research and its impacts on local law enforcement agencies. Presenting in the International Managers of Police Academy College Training (IMPACT) stream the team are already focusing on research to inform next years conference in New Orleans in 2020 with a focus on the successful selection, training, and retention of female police officers.
Forensic Institute for Research Security and Tactics (FIRST)
Rob caught up with the infamous Rogerick Green (Manager), Sanfa Johnson (Director of Training), and Rob Kidston (Strength and Conditioning Coach) from FIRST. The FIRST team and facility are dedicated to providing world leading research and evidence based training for law enforcement and fire and rescue. The TRU are looking forward to some great collaborations.
Channel 7 News Interview
TRU research was recently showcased by Channel Seven. As can be expected there was a little bit of trepidation working with media, but Carly Madsen and the team did a great job.
The interview can be found here:
TRU Australian Tactical Medical Association
Dr Rob Orr was honoured to present at the Annual Australian Tactical Medical Association Conference in Brisbane, Australia. Dr Orr presented on load carriage requirements for tactical personnel, including both body worn loads and victim rescue.
TRU Conference Presentation
Back Off: Strong Backs From Rehabilitation to Performance
The presentation given by Dr Rob Orr at the NSCA's Tactical Strength and Conditioning Conference in Texas 19 focused on optimising the strength, conditioning and reconditioning of the back for tactical personnel.
The presentation will be uploaded onto the TRU site shortly
Firefighters: Mobility and Injury Risk
Firefighters: Mobility and Injury Risk.
The team have just returned from collecting data on Firefighter mobility whilst wearing three different clothing variations (in addition to station wear) and three different boot combinations. This study will look at the risks to movement (and potential slips, trips and falls) imposed on firefighters by their clothing and aims to help industry optimise future clothing design.
New article alert!
The Relationship between Lower-Body Strength and Power, and Load Carriage Tasks: A Critical Review
The purpose of this review was to critically appraise articles that have investigated the association between lower-body strength and power during load carriage in tactical personnel. Literature databases were searched with specific search terms, yielding 921 articles. Additional studies found from article reference lists were also assessed for eligibility. Out of these articles, 16 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and were critically appraised. Articles were assessed by the Downs and Black evaluation tool with inter-rater agreement determined by Cohen’s kappa and final results graded according to the Kennelly quality grading system. Of the 940 identified articles, 16 studies met the criteria for inclusion in this review. The average score of the eligible articles was 58%, considered to be of fair quality by the Kennelly grading system. The strength and volume of evidence reviewed suggests that: measures of lower-body strength and power can predict load carriage performance and appear to be important physical factors for load carriage ability, and that load carriage tasks negatively impact the performance of leg strength and power. Together these findings suggest that leg strength and power should be important considerations for tactical personnel training and assessment, as well as managing the impact of load carriage on tactical performance.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2516&context=ijes
Research into stress and simulation
And so it starts. Piloting the bioharness integration with the Zero Latency ADA harness prior to a series of simulation and stress studies led by TRU’s Dr Elisa Canetti. This study will compare levels of stress in Veterans and Non Veterans exposed to an intensive simulation (Zero Latency scenarios). In addition, student stress responses from a Zero Latency zombie apocalypse will be compared to physiotherapy simulated patient assessments. Theory 1: It is better to partner up with a Vet if you want to survive the apocalypse as they will be less stressed. Theory 2: For students, facing a simulated patient exam is like facing a zombie apocalypse.
New article alert!
Effects of Sex and Age on Physical Testing Performance for Law Enforcement Agency Candidates: Implications for Academy Training
Law enforcement candidates are often required to complete fitness tests to assess their preparedness for training. This study investigated the influence of sex and age on candidate performance before academy training. Retrospective analysis of 516 candidates was performed. Data were stratified into men (n = 432) and women (n = 84), and the pooled (men and women combined) data were stratified into age groups (20-24; 24-29; 30-34; 35-39; and 40+ years). The tests included the following: maximal push-ups and sit-ups in 60 seconds; a 75-yard pursuit run (75PR); arm ergometer revolutions completed in 60 seconds; and a 2.4-km run. To compare the sex and age groups, a 2 × 5 analysis of variance (with Bonferroni post hoc for multiple between-age group comparisons) was used. Men performed significantly (p < 0.001) more push-ups, sit-ups, and arm ergometer revolutions and were faster in the 75PR and 2.4-km run. The 20-24, 25-29, and 35-39 year groups were faster in the 75PR compared with the 40+ year group; the 20-24 and 25-29 year groups were faster than the 35-39 year group; and the 20-24 year group was faster than the 30-34 year group (p ≤ 0.023). The 20-24 year group was faster than the 40+ year group in the 2.4-km run (p = 0.005). Women and older candidates may have a lower physical capacity than men and younger candidates, respectively, in certain physical assessments. Women and older candidates, in particular, may benefit from dedicated training before academy to better prepare for the demands of this period.