The military firefighter profession: Suffering and pleasure, risks and protection

Research studies indicate there is illness among Brazilian military firefighters. The characteristics of the activities performed appear as a factor of illness in some studies and the work context has also been shown to be a fundamental factor in the subject-work-health dynamics. However, few studies propose to investigate the apprehension of the military firefighter about his illness. This research aimed to apprehend the perception of the capixabas military firefighters about the relations between their health and their work and to glimpse strategies used by them to deal with the constraints and specificities of the profession. For this, a semi-structured interview was applied, with subsequent statistical and lexicographic analysis of its content. Capixabas military firefighters have been found to appreciate their activity, although they recognize the adversities of work context. The recognition of the population and the consonance of military mission with personal values appear as strategies to prevent illness.