Rachel Tyli, PhD candidate, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Supervised by James Scott, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Tracy Kirkham, Ontario Health, and Alison McGeer, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Project Title: Validation of Respirator Fit on Ontario Paramedics and Firefighters

Project Summary: During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency service workers (ESWs) relied heavily on respirators as protection against infectious bioaerosols. However, respirators may fail when ESWs perform more physically demanding tasks (e.g., cardiopulmonary resuscitation), putting their health at risk.

I am conducting an experimental study of 200 Ontario ESWs (paramedics and firefighters) to investigate respirator fit during simulated work tasks and for respirator fit factors. Investigation into fit factors will include facial and physiological measurements, and behaviours during tasks, with data partitioned based on sex and ethnicity. This study will help elucidate whether emergency service workers are protected by respirators while performing these tasks.    

Finding that tasks or other variables lead to respirators failing that previously passed standard fit tests would support changes in respiratory use among paramedics and/or changes to fit testing procedures. Such changes may reduce occupational respiratory disease in paramedics and will help inform respirator fit testing for paramedics, firefighters and allied healthcare workers in preparation for future pandemics.  Other quantitative measures such as facial measurements will be linked to respirator fit to elucidate possible links with facial dimensions and respirator fit for both simulated work and standard fit tests. This measurement will help inform the potential development of new respirator designs.