Paramedics' perceptions of their health, fitness and workplace assessments of them

It is thought that paramedics have a negative perception or attitude towards their own health and fitness perhaps due to factors, such as shift work (Rice et al., 2014; Pek et al., 2015). Regular assessments of this implemented by an Ambulance Service may also be perceived negatively, due to fear of job loss for example (Plat et al., 2011). It is becoming increasingly evident that paramedics require a certain level of fitness and therefore health due to dramatic changes in the role, and the demands of personnel. The work carried out by paramedics is vital to society, requiring significant physical and psychological demands (Buzga et al., 2015; Gamble et al., 1991), however, the role and what tasks constitute the day to day job is still largely unknown. Studies specifically on emergency ambulance work have mostly focussed on the prevalence of the relationship between post-traumatic stress and exposure to distressing events (Aasa et al., 2005). Data is lacking when describing the physical attributes of emergency medical services, and paramedics despite the challenging physical, psychological working environment and job requirements (Chapman et al., 2007). In contrast the physical fitness characteristics of other emergency responders such as; firefighters, police officers and armed service personnel, are well documented (Banes, 2014; Drew-Nord et al., 2009; Thornton and Sayers, 2014). As emergency responders in a highly demanding role, in which they may perform lifesaving procedures, the fitness characteristics of paramedics should also be well documented