Participatory Development Process of Two Human Dimension Intervention Programs to Foster Physical Fitness and Psychological Health and Well-Being in Wildland Firefighting

Intervention programs designed, delivered, and evaluated by and within organizations are a critical component in the promotion of employee health and well-being and in the prevention of occupational injury. Critical for transference of findings across complex occupational settings is a clearly articulated development process, a reliance on and evaluation of underlying theoretical foundations, and the inclusion of relevant outcomes emerging out of participatory action processes. To date, there have been no documented efforts outlining the development, implementation, or evaluation of human dimension intervention programs targeting wildland firefighters. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of two collaborative and participatory intervention programs, targeting wildland firefighters' physical and psychological health and well-being. Two human dimension intervention programs were developed in a collaborative, iterative and participatory process following the Context-Content-Process-Outcomes Framework. First, a physical fitness training intervention program was designed to maintain wildland firefighter's physical fitness levels and attenuate risk of injury. Second, a psychosocial education intervention program was developed to mitigate the impact of psychosocial risk factors, foster work engagement, and decrease job stress. The current study provides evidence for the capacity of researchers and organizations to collaboratively develop practical programs primed for implementation and delivery.

Automated summary

Intervention programs designed, delivered, and evaluated within organizations are essential for promoting employee health and preventing occupational injury, requiring a clear development process, theoretical foundations, and relevant outcomes from participatory action processes. This paper outlines the development of two collaborative intervention programs targeting wildland firefighters, including a physical fitness training program and a psychosocial education program. The study demonstrates the capacity for researchers and organizations to collaboratively develop practical programs for implementation and delivery.