Firefighters must stay healthy, but they need organizational support to do so

Dear Nozzlehead: I am a relatively new firefighter with just one year as a member. I recently returned from a multi-state firefighters conference with thousands of "us" in attendance. While it was an excellent conference, I was amazed at how out of shape and fat so many of us are. I saw some of the absolutely largest people I have ever seen — all wearing firefighter shirts, large belts, pagers, knives and related items. And then, I saw some of the same firefighters outside the hall ... smoking! Grrrrrrr!
 
Fifty percent of firefighters who die annually do so of heart and medically related problems. How can so many physically unfit firefighters still do the job and get away with it? Why aren’t they terminated? It is very embarrassing for anyone to see a firefighter carrying extra weight around. How are they able to function? I am very disturbed by what I saw and am not sure I even want to be identified as a firefighter.
— Hiding in New Jersey

Dear Hiding,
Well, for such an inexperienced, green and still-diapered firefighter, you sure have a huge attitude toward other firefighters — senior firefighters. Who do you think you are, dragging your thin, trim and in-shape body into our fat, dumb and happy world? The nerve. Shut up and mind your own business, kid.

Sound familiar? Any of it? We’ve all heard it. We’ve seen young "kids" speak up, and then be told to shut up. After all, we were "doing this stuff" before their parents even got to first base ... (wink, wink).

But sadly, you are right. Many of "us" are woefully out of shape; some are basically heart attacks waiting to happen. We eat crap, don’t engage in physical activity and smoke — and even some thin firefighters fall into the smoking category.

Let’s start with the smoking issue. As far as I am concerned, if you smoke, you should not be a firefighter. Period. Go do something else. Go volunteer somewhere ... but not here. We have decades of proof that smoking will kill you. What else do you need to know? We all know the work effort required on the job, and smoking will interfere with your ability to do the job, including your ability to rescue another firefighter. Get it?

Unfair? BS. If you smoke, you cannot and should not be a firefighter. Period. Leave. Go away. Am I being too harsh? OK fine, you liberal, rights-waving wimp. Let’s try this. Want to smoke? OK, fine. Maybe we give you one year to quit and we pay for the program. Happy now, hippie?

Or how about this: Smoke anywhere but here, and please sign this document that immediately removes you from the fire department’s healthcare and benefits system. That’s right, no medical or insurance coverage. Why should we pay for something we know will get you sooner than later? Or, if medical exams determine that you’ve been smoking, all benefits are GONE! You can continue to work, but you have no coverage.

Yep. Now it’s just you and your butts. Even if you die, you get nothing. So if something happens, you are on your own. But are you really on your own? Not really. Think about it. Your family and friends are the ones who have to deal with the consequences of your actions.

Now, let’s take on the weight issue. Your observations are correct. There are many very overweight firefighters. I’ve attended the same shows you have, and I get confused between the firefighters and the people who appear to be from a circus side show. Some of them are the largest people I have ever seen wearing firefighter "social" garb. I saw one booth selling T-shirts with sizes up to 8XL, and firefighters were buying them! 8XL!!
 
Yes, 50 percent of firefighters die in the line of duty from heart and medically related problems. I recently spoke to a friend in the UK who said they could never reach our LODD numbers because all of their firefighters, career and volunteer (or retained, as they call them there), must get annual physicals, meet certain weight requirements and retire in their 50s. You cannot be a firefighter after a certain age there.

Requiring firefighters to follow these standards helps solve some problems, but it also creates new ones. For example, if we followed these requirements here in the States, there would be fewer available firefighters to respond. Who would replace them in volunteer departments? We can’t just hire career firefighters, because the funding isn’t always there — just look at the layoffs some paid departments have experienced.

You asked how so many firefighters can still do the job and get away with it? Why aren’t they terminated? The reason is simple: no standards, no physical fitness, no medical program to help and one very important question — who else will answer the calls?

In so many communities, volunteer firefighters are the fire service, and they do a great job. But if "Old Joe" (or Young Joe!) who is 75 lbs. overweight is told he cannot answer calls because of his weight, what happens if he is the only driver available for that fire call? That’s a big deal. What should be done? Save Joe from himself? As mentioned, some say "hire more firefighters," but that is easier said than done.

Where is the money coming from? In some places, the answer is that there is no money. Well then maybe the answer is that there will be no fire department! But let’s stay in reality here. Simply put, without some smoking and overweight folks, there would be no fire department. Does it make it right? No. But it is reality.

Sure, it can be very embarrassing for the public to see a firefighter carrying around loads of very obvious extra weight. But they do function, and they do get the apparatus out when the pagers beep and the sirens sound.

So, after all this, what is the solution? Well, there are two sources: First is the individual. Without the individual wanting to change, it won’t happen. Second is the organization’s leadership. This leadership should provide the opportunity, the support and the professional assistance so those folks who want to get healthier can work toward specific goals to do so. For example, like smoking, eating can be an addiction. Departments should consider offering some sort of program to help firefighters get healthy. But is it worth it? That’s based on you and your department’s values.

Don’t get me wrong — changing health-related styles, such as eating and exercise habits and, of course, smoking, is a major deal, but it can be done and has been done by many folks. Is it easy? Gimme a break. But neither is what we do as firefighters … so what’s one more challenge?

As I mentioned above, now it’s just you and your butts (or Twinkies). Even if you die, you get nothing, and besides, if you die, what does it matter? Ask your family. Your kids. Your spouse. You friends. Your folks. See how they would feel about you being gone. How would they feel if you missed the wedding? The graduation? The birthdays? Yeah, they would just love it without you ...

And as to your comment, Mr. Hiding, that you don’t want to be identified as a firefighter because of the heavy ones and the smoking ones, well pal, odds are they’ve been going to calls for many more years than you. So instead of being embarrassed, maybe you can become part of the solution. You haven’t even earned the right to be embarrassed. But I still love ya … now, pass the salad.