Abstract
Disaster response in the field is typically very strenuous, difficult work, both physically and mentally. While hard evidence is lacking, it may be inferred that disaster providers lacking appropriate physical fitness are at increased risk of injury or compromising safety operations during a deployment. This problem may be amplified depending on where the disaster has occurred. For example, deploying to a large-scale international disaster, particularly in a developing country under austere conditions, often brings the additional variable of limited or non-existent local healthcare.