Research has documented a number of acute and chronic stressors unique to the fire service. Due to the rise in mental health concerns in firefighters, there has been increased awareness of the negative effects of unmanaged stress. The present study employed a behavioral-analytic model to construct a brief screening measure of stress for this population: the Firefighter Assessment of Stress Test (FAST). Psychometric properties of the FAST were evaluated using data from active-duty firefighters throughout the United States. Results indicated the FAST has good internal reliability (α = 0.89), as well as good convergent and discriminant validity. Also, the factor structure of the FAST revealed three significant subscales reflective of stress associated with responding to calls, administrative difficulties, and being overworked. Scoring and interpretation guidelines were established to suggest when further assessment is warranted. The FAST offers a brief and valid method of self-assessment of current stress levels in firefighters. Information obtained from the FAST (i.e., overall stress level and domains) has the potential to facilitate more immediate identification and recognition of stress in firefighters than what has been possible to date. Moreover, heightened awareness of stress and its effects will hopefully culminate in expanded efforts directed toward stress reduction and intervention for firefighters and their families.

研究记录了许多消防部门特有的急性和慢性压力源。由于消防员心理健康问题的增加，人们越来越意识到不受管理的压力的负面影响。本研究采用行为分析模型为该人群构建了一个简短的压力筛查措施：消防员压力测试评估 (FAST)。使用来自美国各地现役消防员的数据评估了 FAST 的心理测量特性。结果表明 FAST 具有良好的内部信度 ( α = 0.89），以及良好的收敛效度和区分效度。此外，FAST 的因子结构揭示了三个重要的分量表，反映了与响应电话、管理困难和过度劳累相关的压力。制定了评分和解释指南，以建议何时需要进行进一步评估。FAST 提供了一种简短有效的自我评估消防员当前压力水平的方法。从 FAST 获得的信息（即总体压力水平和领域）有可能比迄今为止可能更直接地识别和识别消防员的压力。此外，提高对压力及其影响的认识有望最终导致针对消防员及其家人减轻压力和干预的更大努力。