Model for Developing Occupational Safety Skills in Military Personnel of Fire and Rescue Units by Means of Physical Training

Abstract

The practice of service in fire and rescue units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine necessitates addressing the task of training a new type of specialist who strives for continuous professional development, ensures the safety of their own activities and that of their subordinates, and demonstrates a high level of professional orientation.At present, there exists a contradiction between the practice of developing occupational safety skills among military personnel of fire and rescue units through physical training in educational units and the lack of scientifically substantiated recommendations aimed at improving the effectiveness of this process. The purpose of the study is to substantiate a comprehensive model for developing occupational safety skills in military personnel of fire and rescue units by means of physical training, as well as to verify its effectiveness through a pedagogical experiment. The study employed a range of methods, including theoretical analysis and generalization of previous research findings, sociological methods (survey), pedagogical observation (testing), pedagogical experiment, and methods of mathematical statistics. Based on the results of the study, a comprehensive model for developing occupational safety skills in military personnel of fire and rescue units by means of physical training was substantiated and developed. The content and structure of the model determine that the educational process should be based on an integrated approach that takes into account psychological characteristics of the individual, the level of physical fitness of military personnel, as well as their interaction and relationships within the team. The professionalization of education will be successful if it is organized in stages with a clearly expressed practical and professional orientation. At the same time, the study of all academic disciplines should be carried out in close interconnection. The results of testing the effectiveness of the author's model demonstrated that, during the pedagogical experiment, the indicators of the experimental group (EG) showed statistically significant superiority compared to the control group (CG) in terms of professional knowledge, professional and physical fitness based on final examination results (t=2,169–6,045; p<0,05–0,001), as well as according to the analysis of feedback from military unit commanders: professional knowledge (t=10,262; p<0,001); professional training (t=5,121; p<0,001); physical fitness (t=2,481; p<0,05); and overall assessment (t=7,660; p<0,001). Conclusions. It has been proven that the comprehensive model for developing occupational safety skills in military personnel of fire and rescue units by means of physical training can be recommended for widespread implementation in the professional training process of military personnel in this specialty.