Team Firefighter - I workout!

Anyone who is a firefighter knows there is a big discrepancy between the general perception of firefighter fitness in the eyes of the public, versus the eyes of the fire service.  The public views us as in shape, car throwing behemoths that can do anything.  Reality is pretty harsh compared to the general view.

Heart attack and stroke are the leading cause of firefighter fatality in the United States.   A review of statistics since 1986 (available here) show that heart attack and stroke cause roughly one-half of firefighter fatalities every year.  What's more, is that the article here quotes most of these as preventable.

Half of our on-duty deaths are preventable?  

We could be sending half of our brothers and sisters home to their families every year.  And keep in mind, these statistics are for on-duty deaths.  They don't include the deaths that occur off duty caused by heart attack and stroke.  A recent alert in Texas reminds us that heart attack is not a disease for the old or infirm.  I quote: "All five firefighters that died of heart attacks were less than 52 years old."  For those of you with family, how old will your children, spouse be when you are 52?

Here's where I stop, though.  This article isn't about heart attack or stroke.  It's about getting us up off the recliner and away from the Xbox a few hours at a time.  And while every tour, every station isn't going to fit into this, there is something for everyone here.

There's a great article here from Fire Engineering that has some really great perspectives to it:

The “FIREFIGHTERS are ATHLETES” ACS Prevention Program

Recommendations:
A.   Annual Physical Exam and Physical Ability Test (PAT). The primary care physician (PCP) should regularly screen and intervene for heart disease risk factors. Starting at age 40, firefighters should undergo an exercise stress test every three years and discuss the efficacy of daily aspirin therapy with the PCP. This should be followed by firefighter participation in a “mini-training camp” PAT to ensure that they are fit and safe to do vigorous fire duty.
T.     Train-the-Trainer Program. Train at least one firefighter in every firehouse to act as a certified fitness instructor to ensure that all members are working out safely and reaching their fitness goals. All new recruits could be trained as fitness instructors during each fire academy class for a minimal cost and time. 
H.   Hydration and On-Scene Rehabilitation. A dedicated unit should respond to all fires to ensure that firefighters are well hydrated and cooled down and evaluated for heat exhaustion before reentering the fire building.
L.    Lifestyle Changes. Fire officers need to set better examples and function more like “coaches” to instill more pride and professionalism in the job and encourage firefighters to develop better self-care habits. The fire service should expect that firefighters will remain healthy and fit throughout their careers.
E.    Educate for Safety. Training drills must focus more on the importance of full compliance with regard to using self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to prevent HCN and CO inhalation exposures. These sessions should include more education on the early recognition of the signs and symptoms of an ACS and avoiding “denial” behavior. Firefighters also must understand that the cardiovascular strain and risk for an ACS can persist for up to 48 hours after battling a fire. Seminars on smoking cessation should also be offered.
T.     Training Time. Set aside at least 45 minutes each shift to allow all firefighters to partake in a stretching, aerobic, and muscular strengthening and conditioning program. Firefighters need to workout at least four times a week to maintain adequate fitness levels for the job.
E.    Eating Habits. Develop a healthy nutrition program that emphasizes the need for better portion control and meals that contain more fruits, vegetables, and fish and less saturated fats, meats, and salt. The faculty and students from the local university nutrition programs could be recruited to assist in this endeavor.
S.     Stress Reduction. Develop ongoing training classes to help firefighters develop effective coping skills to deal with the mental stresses of the job and the effects of the stress response. This should include instruction in effective breathing exercises, positive visualizations, eliciting the “relaxation response,” avoidance of self-medication behavior with alcohol and drugs, and better use of the critical incident stress management (CISM) teams and employee assistance program (EAP) referrals.

I've highlighted the sections that apply to physical fitness, but, really, the whole thing is important.

FITNESS is crucial to our jobs.  If you've been following Team Firefighter or any of the members for any amount of time, you'll know that many of us are passionate about fitness and triathlon.  So passionate, in fact, that our enthusiasm is attracting new members at a rapid pace!  But how do you get fit and stay fit while you're on the job?  It's not easy, for sure.

Many departments across the United States are placing enough priority on fitness that policies and practices reflect this.  Kyle Hamilton says, "We are lucky to have a chief that values fitness. 0800-1000 every morning is set aside for physical fitness."  Kyle works for San Rafael, California.  Michael Cronin, with West Point Fire Department has mandatory pt in the morning for an hour.  Fire departments are equipping their stations with better workout equipment and giving more options than the standard barbells and dumbbells.  I take my bike and trainer to the station to get a bike workout in on duty.

More and more fire departments are choosing a "peer fitness" coordinator that can offer information of diet and exercise to his/her peers.   We're seeing a shift across the nation toward taking care of our firefighters physically and promoting greater awareness in handling stress.

And while it isn't the main subject of THIS post, Rick Van Tuyl and David Dushkin are the go-to guys on the team for plant-based clean eating. They've got some really exciting stuff going on.  Don't hesitate to leave a question in the comments for them if you've got it.

Some tips for getting a workout in while on duty:

• Start early.  The sooner you get that workout in, the sooner you'll be done.  And more likely to be able to finish.
• Keep track of your workout.  Use a heart rate monitor, high tech gps device, or pad and paper and a stopwatch.  It really doesn't matter, but put it down on paper or log it in the computer when you're done.  Trainingpeaks.com has a really good free website that you can use to keep track of workouts and progress.
• Set a goal.  Register for a race.  Compete with someone at work. It's harder to blow off a workout when you have to prepare for something or you're trying to beat someone else.
• In connection with the last two, have a training plan.
• Find a mentor
• Set an example (officers...)

Some benefits of working out:

• Uniforms fit better (nomex doesn't stretch).
• The endorphins created by exercise help the brain handle stress during and after incidents. There's a great study here that links exercise to actually handling stress during calls better at a physiological level.
• Sleep better.
• Better sleep = better focus = better firefighter = better team

In reality, there's an endless list of benefits from being physically fit and exercising.  Ultimately, it's about going home to our families and setting an example for our kids, our coworkers, and the next generation of firefighters.


What about you?  Will you make a difference for yourself and others today?