Blood chemistry and immune cell changes during 1 week of intensive firefighting training

Blood chemistry and immune cell parameters were examined in firefighters in a 1-week program of "live fire" training exercises. Blood samples were obtained at the beginning (AM) and end (PM) of each of the last 4 days of training. Analyses revealed significant time (AM-to-PM) effects for of the blood chemistry and immune variables along with significant leukocytosis over the 4 days of training. Despite the significant changes, these data suggest that serial days of supervised firefighting training do not appear to cause dangerous changes in blood chemistry or immunosuppression.