Heart Failure Is Killing Us

[smokeater-n-hellraiser]

It seems to me that the biggest killer in the service is heart attack/heart failure.
I am not a firefighter (yet. Still in college fire science), but how would you, as the people dealing with this stuff, recommend to me that I train/work, so that I won't become a statistic under LODD? Thanks folks.

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"I hate it when someone says something is impossible, because then I have to go and find a way to do it."
Whatever it is, I didn't do it, and I don't know anything about a fire. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
Stay safe, boys and girls. It's for keeps out there.

[Nate Marshall]

good question.
What you need to do is develop a fitness program that covers everything from conditioning to nutrition.

My recommendation is to buy a copy of the firefighters workout book, pick up a copy of the april fire chief magazine issue, consult a personal trainer to help you design a workout, and meet with a nutritionist.

You need to have balance. Eat right. Work out right. Id even consider taking up martial arts or some real physical activity that puts some stress on you to see your results firsthand.

Before you do anything consult your physician.

One last item is go to the fema site to the usfa link and look up the niosh fatality reports and study them, know how each ff died and why. Learn from it.

[Firebrother]

I definitly believe diet and exercise play a strong role in preventing these situations, but I also strongly believe that dehydration put us at a serious risk for heart trouble, our bodies and especially the heart is made up mostly of water, under extreme heat stress
and physical exertion being properly hydrated is an easy and effective way of helping the body defend it self. and with Statistics somewhere in the neighborhood of 70% of the population being chronically dehydrated i'm positive the fire service is not immune. so DRINKUP!!!.

[Brian Dunlap]

A Constant excercise program and sensable diet is the best way to go --- I'm probably not one to talk due to the fact I'm not the best in shape as I could be and I'm a smoker { Trying to quit } -- My Company just had a pretty well involved House Fire Yesterday and despite the 90 degree weather the fact I'm Out of Shape didn't help --- I Blew one Bottle and was cooked for sometime. Had I been in better Shape, been a non smoker I probably could have done my usual two bottles like I used to --- So from that I feel proper excersise and diet should keep the 'ol ticker going and help you perform better at fire scenes

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STRATFORD FIRE CO. # 1 NEW JERSEY STATE FIREMEN'S CONVENTION OVER-ALL CHAMPIONS 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 2000 !!

[nsfirechap]

All the replies have been great. But one thing that concerns me is that not all of the heart attack related deaths have been in he out of shape smoker category. Definitely staying in shape, eating right and eliminating as many risk factora as possible are great suggestions. One thing that has me concerned is a departments lack of a good consistent rehan program-I hate the idea of firefighters coming out of a building, throwing on another bottle and going back in over and over without rehab. One department in Florida I worked with had a great policy - one 30 minute bottle - 30 minutes in rehab...May sound excessive but it sure helped keep crews safe. Best to you in your olans.


Jeff

[Nate Marshall]

I support having paramedics outside at the donning/doffing area and after every bottle they get vitals taken, the paramedic then has the authority from Chief of Department to PULL ANYONE out and send them to rehab. I favor a 1.5 to 1 ratio. For every minute spent inside, you will spend 1 and a half minutes in rehab or until the paramedic feels your vitals are normal.

Take baseline vitals each morning at shift change. Record them and send to medic units who will then be able to reference them at any incident.