Why Do Firefighters Use SOS?
Firefighting is undoubtedly one of the riskiest jobs, with a very high possibility of dehydration. To minimise this risk, NSW Fire uses SOS in their electrolyte replacement strategy.
New South Wales (NSW) Fire is a firefighting agency that saves lives on a daily basis. There are very few jobs that are as physically demanding and risky as theirs. Because of the environment that the firefighters expose themselves to, the risk of dehydration is a serious issue.
Firefighters lose a significant amount of water through sweat. Without a way to properly replace the lost water and electrolytes, they expose themselves to all kinds of health issues.
Having this in mind, a good rehydration strategy is incredibly important. It keeps firefighters safe, healthy, and far more effective at their job.
To help you understand why this is the case, we need to discuss sweating and the effects that it has on the body. Then we’ll show you why SOS is superior to other solutions when it comes to electrolyte replacement.
How Does Sweating Affect The Body?
Generally, we consider sweating to be a natural mechanism that occurs when our body temperature rises. This is important for thermoregulation, since sweating makes our bodies cool down.
However, excessive sweating leads to many issues if we don’t replace the lost water. The reason for this is that we lose electrolytes such as sodium and potassium through sweat. Electrolytes play an important part in providing energy to our bodies, so proper rehydration is essential.
You can feel the effects of dehydration after just 1-2% loss of body weight. The most obvious sign is thirst. If you keep losing water without replenishing it, you could experience severe health issues. This is because you lose around 900mg of sodium per 1L of sweat on average.
Due to the extreme heat that they expose themselves to, firefighters lose a lot of water during their work. This can significantly decrease their work performance and cause many health problems.
Aside from that, other factors that influence water loss are:
- High cardiac stress
- Physical demands
- Constant alertness
- Long working shifts
Drinking plain water isn’t enough to replace the lost electrolytes. Sports drinks and similar solutions can be even less effective. On the other hand, many studies prove that ORS (Oral Rehydration Solutions) are the best way to replenish the electrolytes you lost.
To show you why they’re more effective, let’s take a look at the differences of various rehydration solutions.
Why Are ORS the Best Electrolyte Replacement Method?
When it comes to rehydration, there are a few options available. The most obvious one is water. Even though it can help combat dehydration, plain water doesn’t contain enough electrolytes.
For this reason, many people who live an active lifestyle choose sports drinks. However, these drinks often aren’t a good solution, since they contain artificial ingredients to add flavour. Even if you assume that these ingredients aren’t harmful, sports drinks still don’t provide enough electrolytes.
ORS, such as SOS drinks, are the best fast-acting solution. The reason behind this is that they contain high concentrations of electrolytes and no artificial sweeteners. For taste, SOS uses stevia instead, a natural sweetener that won’t affect your health.
This is why NSW firefighters use SOS. 2L of SOS contains 2720mg of sodium and just 24g of sugar. This way, the firefighters can fully replenish the reserves of electrolytes as well as the water they’ve lost.
With such electrolyte replacement strategy, the firefighters minimise the risk of dehydration and have more energy for their jobs, which leads to an increase in effectiveness. Thanks to its ability to provide immediate effects, the firefighters would notice the benefits soon after drinking SOS.
Aside from firefighters, many athletes and professionals who want to maximise their performance turn to SOS. It also helps them absorb fluids more easily, and therefore improve their performance.
If you lead an active lifestyle and need a good rehydration strategy, SOS could be the solution. It’s fast-acting, palatable, and doesn’t contain ingredients that can harm your health. It also contains around 80% less sugar than an average sports drink.
If you wish to learn more about this drink, feel free to visit out shop for more information.
