They also save people from risky situations, such as collapsed or burning structures or damaged vehicles. In certain areas, they can also be trained in Emergency Medical Services EMS and may also operate ambulances in addition to being a firefighter. Firefighting is a physically demanding occupation; hence firefighter health and wellness needs to be a priority to all in the fire service. Living a healthy life, limiting harmful exposures, having an excellent fitness program and clean diet are essential for firefighters.
Firefighters face possible physical dangers on every call, therefore remaining fit and healthy is their best security from injury or illness. But due to the routine exposures encountered, hazards are not always avoidable. Following are a few firefighter health and wellness risks that are not as visible as burns or as apparent as the dangers of a structure collapse:.
Shorter life expectancy Firefighters have lower life expectancies compared to the typical population and are three times more likely to die on the job, partially as a result of inherent dangers, physical and psychological stress, as well as exposures to poisonous and carcinogenic chemicals released in smoke reference: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, University of Cincinnati.
Firefighter overtime is not a part of retirement calculations Retirements are determined based on averaging the basic wages over a long time, and do not include any overtime pay or even other earnings which are not a part of the basic compensation certain remunerations, such as education bonuses and allowances, are included — however, overtime is not.
Firefighters are at Much Greater Risk for many Cancers Firefighters face a higher cancer risk compared to the general population: The following list represents various types of cancer and their increased risk for firefighters:. Taxpayers which include firefighters pay the same taxes as other citizens. Strengthen your Safety Officer's role and responsibility.
Train on Rehab and safe operations. Use rehab during drills. Use the spot lights on the trucks to better illuminate the scene as you pull up to it When was the last time you used those post lights?
Truck check? Or at a scene? Learn and practice safe driving techniques. Enact some "retraining" system for those who are observed to perform unsafe ops at scenes. We all make mistakes, we usually realize it shortly after we did it, and we are usually our own worst critics. Let us instead pool our knowledge and experience and figure out what did work and what did not work on this call. What could we have done differently?
What SOP might we need to change? Make this a positive learning experience. No one can be injured, maimed or killed during the Post Mortem conference. In fact, a well run Post Mortem can save lives. Your life, your fellow firefighters and the citizens we are sworn to protect and render aid to. Now for the "oldsters". These are the firefighters who may need a "4x4 up alongside the head just to get their attention" and you can name one or two in your Department with another millisecond of thought.
There are 7 basic risk factors for heart disease. The 3 uncontrollable risk factors are:. Sex: men are at a higher risk than women are, and a sex change operation will not change it either.
Heredity: you can not change who your genetic parents are. If they have heart disease or died from heart disease, you have an increased risk to also suffer or die from heart disease. That's just the cards you were dealt.
Age: The older you get, the greater your risk is that you will die from heart disease and all other causes as well. There is only one way to stop getting older, that I am aware of, and that is the one we are trying to avoid in the first place. The other 4 risk factors, which the individual has complete and sole control over, are:.
I'll get back to that in detail in a moment. The next three are so intermingled that they really should be a single word "Diet-Weight-Exercise". High fat content meals are becoming the American way of death. Improper diets with high fat and cholesterol contents, low nutrient content, lacking in minerals and essential vitamins lead not to just increased heart disease, but all types of cancers and other nasty illnesses and diseases.
Too many of us are overweight guilty as charged, but I am actively working on it. How did we get there? The wrong diet and lack of exercise. By modifying your of lifestyle, with a proper diet and starting a regular exercise program your excess weight will come off, your cholesterol levels will change for the better and you will once again control your life and reduce your risk factors! Hey, I did not say this would be easy. You must take back control of yourself and not be influenced by "Madison Avenue marketing" and commercials.
Ever wonder how those good-looking models stay so thin with all the high fat foods they are promoting? Well, you may get a lot of exercise, but you are still overweight in spite of it! Obviously, you need to perform separate exercises above and beyond your regular work life. The first exercise to add is the "push-away" exercise. This is performed at the dinner table push your belly away from the second and third helpings.
Cut back on those evening snacks, which are inevitably loaded with fat. Now, I did not say "stop those evening snacks", I said to "cut back". Maybe only once or twice per week, and change it from chips to fruit.
Walking is one of the easiest and most convenient activities one can do. I do mean walk and not jog. Jogging, especially for the overweight, will add too much stress to your ankles, knees and hips. Whether you jog one mile, or walk one mile, you have exerted the same amount of effort. Only the intensity is different. Start off with a 5-minute walk after supper. Walk at a pace where you can carry on a normal conversation. Increase your walking time by 3 to 5 minutes each week.
Take small, incremental increases in time. It took you several years to add that weight, expect to take some time to lose it. A good goal to aim for, is one pound per week. More than that is usually just water.
Expect to reach weight plateaus. With exercise, your body is building muscle. That muscle adds weight, while losing fat. If you have 50 pounds as I do to lose, expect to take 50 weeks to lose it!
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