Coffee at rehab???

[firefightergtp]

Its getting pretty chilly at night up here in the northeast, and I saw a thread in another section where people are discussing hot drink storage on apparatus.

So what does everyone think? I can't think of any other hot drink that FF's would drink at rehab other than coffee. So what does everyone think?? I know the guys in my department have had coffee at rehab for years, but I don't necessarily think its a good idea.

Please discuss..

[needlejockey]

Hot chocolate has always been a favorite at my old station. Coffee of course takes 1st place but Hot coco is a close 2nd. The only bad thing I can think of for not providing a hot drink like coffee is the caffine. Maybe it'll raise the already elevated blood pressure of a bunch of firefighters that just got done working hard to a dangerous level. But I don't really think a cup or two of joe is really gonna be the straw that broke the camels back so to speak, though it could.

[martinm]

All my services appliances carry a fireground feeding kit which consists of dehydrated tea/coffee/hot chocholoate/soup and freeze dried meals. Simple to put together, easy to make. All the vehicles carry a 110v portable generator which is mainly used to lighting, but we alos carry a kettle so we can have a hot drink anytime we want. Plastic crate with all the stuff in takes up very little room.

[firefightergtp]

Maybe it'll raise the already elevated blood pressure of a bunch of firefighters that just got done working hard to a dangerous level. But I don't really think a cup or two of joe is really gonna be the straw that broke the camels back so to speak, though it could.

The thing that concerns me the most is how different people react to caffeine. With some, caffeine has little effect on them physiologically, but for some, blood pressure goes way up, heart rate is increased, etc, etc. We advise not to drink coffee after a hard workout session, so how is drinking it after a job any better???

[LtTim556]

In my opinion, the worst thing about coffee is all the crap some people put in it. You know all the sugar and creamer junk. The only way to truely enjoy a good cup of coffee is black. Now, as far as drinking it at rehab, not the best choice to replenish lost fluids but as long as water or some sports drink is included then okay. Those that have problems with coffee usually don't drink it so keep other drinks available. If your worried about the caffine raising BP and such then use decaf, but then whats the point of drinking coffee with out caffine? Even some of the so called sports drinks have caffine and surgar in them and sometimes more than a cup of coffee.

[mcaldwell]

I think the idea is more about "Hot" drinks in general. I think it is a good idea, but we don't keep it on the trucks, our plan is to either heat up some water/coffee in the hall and thermos it out via rookie taxi, or we hit up one of the local restaurants/stores for it during operating hours.

The instances are few and far between, so they are always happy to oblige if for nothing less than the good PR and free advertising.

[FireMedAS]

Caffeine is a diuretic. Why would you want it anywhere near rehab?

[ALSfirefighter]

Good point firemedAS. The chemical used to decaffinate coffee is even a stronger diuretic. As far as caffinated drinks dehydrating you, the jury is out. There are studies that showed caffeine does not dehydrate you and there are some athletes that use super caffeinated drinks and such before they compete.

Coffee in moderation should not effect the majority of persons who do not have underlying medical conditions.

The most important thing to realize is that we stand a better chance to be dehydrated during cold weather then hot. Generally we do not mentally think that because its not hot and we are programmed about hot weather and the importance of hydration. You can also warm up gatorade to serve. Just remember all sports drinks need to be cut in half with water. The hypertonic nature of these drinks with the electrolytes and sugar can cause a fluid shift for the kidneys to excrete the glucose and high electrolyte concentrations.

That vitamin water that is sold is one of the worst, it has a extremely high glucose concentration.

[osh599]

Rehab

A number of years ago, our Chief made the stand as far as what is allowed on our scenes for rehab. Coffee is not allowed on our scenes for hydration. The only fluids allowed is either water or gatorade.

Also, if food is to be brought out to a scene then it can only be fruits and raw vegetables or granola bars. No McDonald's allowed here, we want to replenish nutrients and fast food can not do that for us.

We take rehab very seriously on our dept. We even tried a product called "Take Up" a few years ago. Personally I loved the stuff. Recovery time was less than drinking water although it was high in sugars. We have not used that product in four years.

Winter is no different for us than in the summer. Same guidelines apply year round.

[lightsandsound]

I think an often overlooked type of rehab would be the recovery from cold.....I don't see hot drinks being any benefit in a "text book" rehab (recovery from heat stress and exhaustion)......I do, however, think they are great for those really cold deals...you know the ones...exposure lines....-20 degrees.....50 KT winds...etc....etc....We have a portable coffee dispenser you can fill with whatever your pleasure...then it's only a matter of putting a call in for it when required.

[HEYVERN]

In the winter months, we drink our powerade and water at room temperature not heated. We also use a power bar for the larger incidents. We drink coffee when we return to the station for clean up, but not on scene.