$700K FEMA grant funds USF study of Tampa firefighters
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded University of South Florida $701,173 to study the effectiveness of targeted exercises for preventing back injuries in firefighters.
The principal investigator, John Mayer, will work with the city of Tampa Fire Rescue in the two-year study to measure the effectiveness of therapeutic exercises, a release said. Mayer holds the Lincoln College Endowed Chair in biomechanical and chiropractic research at USF and is associate professor in the USF School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences.
The goal is to determine if a specific exercise protocol can improve the function of the back musculature of firefighters so that they can work more effectively and safely, Mayer said in the release.
USF personnel and certified peer fitness trainers from Tampa Fire Rescue will administer supervised exercise interventions at several fire stations for six months. Assessments will be conducted at the USF Human Functional Performance Laboratory.
The USF award was one of six awarded by FEMA in Florida under the 2009 Fire Prevention and Safety Grants. USF received the only award in the Tampa Bay area, the largest award in Florida and the state’s only “research and prevention award,” the release said.