By Mary Knowles
The Orlando Sentinel
Copyright 2007 Orlando Sentinel

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Fire Rescue recruits have just jogged down the driveway of their training facility in a double conga line. Now, they're sitting in a circle, chanting in chorus while doing leg lifts after their workout.

"Lean on me, when you're not strong," they sing.

The 19 recruits meet from 7 to 8 every morning to exercise, practice teamwork and prepare themselves for the dangers and stresses of battling fires and rescuing victims.

And the daily fitness routine won't stop when they graduate.

The Orange County Fire Rescue Department mandates that all of its firefighters exercise for an hour every day. It's one way to fight the diseases and injuries that can afflict firefighters. Research about the occupation's health hazards shows that heart disease causes 45 percent of deaths among U.S. firefighters on duty.

Orange County wanted to combat those odds, so it installed workout equipment in most stations. At stations without equipment, firefighters head to local gyms or the main training facility.

And to make sure the workouts are having their intended effect, a specially outfitted "fit" mobile unit visits all 40 substations in Orange County for yearly checkups of firefighters' heart rates, strength, flexibility and endurance. Firefighters also face an annual test to gauge their abilities to haul hoses, bodies and ladders.

The focus on fitness started six years ago, when Chief Carl Plaugher joined the department with the goal of making firefighters healthier. The department asked the National Association of Counties for a grant to start the program to pay for equipment, gym memberships, medical exams and other expenses.

Since then, the number of workers' compensation cases has decreased 43 percent, from 295 in 2001 to 167 in 2005. Workers' compensation claims cost the department about $672,400 in 2005, down from $1.84 million in 2001, according to department reports. In the same period, the department's ranks grew from 750 to 1,100.

Orange County's program appears to be among only a few in the nation. About 70 percent of firefighters are volunteers, and their departments often don't require them to work out, a recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found.

At Orange County Fire Rescue, cardiac and lung conditions and lower-back injuries top the list of complaints. These conditions can stem from lifestyle habits such as diet and smoking, and injuries can be triggered by high-stress fire calls that demand physical exertion.

"You're going from zero to 60 in three seconds or so" when fighting a fire, said Lt. Juan Atan, from Station 52 on Sand Lake Road. "That's a lot of stress."

The dangerous aspects of the job won't change, but preparation is key, officials say.

"We want to emphasize that they need to stay in shape," said Lt. John Sabat from Station 32C in Kissimmee. "The public depends on us."

The feeling of getting in shape drives DeVon Burns to give his best in the early-morning workouts.

"It gives me motivation," said Burns, 25, who moved from Jacksonville to join the department as a recruit. Burns helps lead the "cadencing," or rhythmic calls that energize the recruits.

Since joining the department, Burns also is watching his health by eating more fruits and vegetables.

A healthy diet and exercise set apart the new generation of firefighters from their predecessors, said Robert Kelley, 51, from Station 20 in Zellwood, who was running on a treadmill Monday to regain strength after a shoulder injury.

"My father's generation didn't physically take care of themselves. They smoke and drank and ate crappy foods," said Kelley, who has been a firefighter for 26 years.

The exercise requirements build teamwork and help prepare firefighters for the physical and mental challenges of their jobs, officials say.

"You are an athlete as part of the nature of your job," Lt. Anthony Willis tells the recruits. Willis is a peer fitness trainer, one of 35 who give their comrades exercise tips, healthy recipes and motivation.

Fun has its place, too. The firefighters are quick to note that they won a regional "Guns and Hoses" basketball tournament among local public-safety agencies last week.

Keeping in shape has personal, not just public, benefits, Atan said.

"What we're trying to do is have these firefighters go through their 25-year career and enjoy their retirement," Atan said.