We all know that firefighting can be an exhausting physical activity. Unlike the in-season athlete, we aren’t told ahead of time when we will need to compete.  It’s too bad we don’t get advanced warning of our fire runs: “Hey guys, Mrs. Jones just called to tell us her house is going to catch fire tomorrow at 5 pm.” In the absence of prior warnings, we need to be well-prepared and ready to roll at a moment’s notice.

Here in Cincinnati, we love our cheese coneys and three- or four-way chili. You won’t find too many athletes munching down five or six coneys before the big game, but visit any firehouse kitchen and there’s a good chance you’ll see them being served. Are the physical demands on us any less severe than those on an athlete? And aren’t the stakes higher? So why would we prepare any less thoroughly for the “big game”?

In simple terms, there is a connection between how fit we are and the recovery time we spend in rehab. This isn’t brain surgery; look around your firehouse. If company assignments were done like picking teams at recess, would you be the first or last one picked?

According to the Houston Fire Department Rehabilitation Guidelines CE0016, “Exercise and proper nutrition are essential in providing firefighters with the necessary strength and endurance for all types of firefighter incidents. When firefighters are in good, physical condition, their recovery time in the Rehab sector will be brief.” 

Even the healthiest firefighter needs to be evaluated and sent through the rehab sector.  As an athletic trainer for a large suburban high school, I demand that everyone hydrate themselves at breaks. We pay close attention to the beefy linemen as well as the lean cross country runners. How long you stay in rehab may depend on your overall health and fitness level.

The proverbial Pyramid of Fitness emphasizes muscular strength, flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, along with speed and skills. We want and need you as members of the American fire service to portray a fit image to the citizens you serve, though naturally the importance extends beyond mere image. This is what I am referring to when I talk about firefighter prehab.

Ask yourself the following questions: What efforts do you consistently make to improve your overall health? Are your choices helping or hurting your performance at the emergency scene?

OK, so maybe you’re like one of the millions of Americans who carry around a little too much weight. Maybe a trip to the “all you can eat” buffet does sound pretty appealing. There’s a reason they call it “comfort food.” Is your only exercise provided by changing the battery in the TV remote? If your firehouse motto is, “We sleep till we’re hungry and eat till we’re tired,” you’ve got your work cut out for you in terms of breaking bad eating and exercise habits and getting in shape. But whether you’re waiting for a department-wide program or engaging in a personal lifestyle analysis, the change to a healthier mode of living will do you a world of good.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, heart attacks were the most frequent cause of death among firefighters for 2005 with 55 firefighter deaths, down from 61 heart attack deaths in 2004. Stress or overexertion is the general category that includes all firefighter deaths that are cardiac or cerebrovascular in nature. Statistics showed that younger firefighters typically died of trauma, whereas older firefighters typically died of heart attacks and CVAs. For more information on firefighter fatalities, go to www.usfa.dhs.gov 

Let’s mention another project underway by the U.S. Fire Administration.  In August 2006, the National Preparedness Network (PREPnet) made available via the Internet the Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives Resource Kit. This is a training tool created by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) as part of its Everyone Goes Home Program. The resource kit is a mix of video presentations and training materials. The 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives are designed to improve the quality and longevity of your involvement in the fire service. Please give this information your attention.

According to some sources of mine, there may be upcoming changes to NFPA 1584, which I hope to be able to share with you in my next column. Thank you to those readers who sent me an email following my last article, and please continue to let me know what you’re thinking.  I hope to highlight some specific fire department rehab units in the coming months. I would enjoy hearing from you at denehyp@sycamoreschools.org.