FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Athletic trainers are working with fire department recruits at the Greater Flagstaff Region Fire Academy to reduce injuries as they learn firefighting skills.
Two mornings a week, Megan Mulready, an assistant clinical professor at Northern Arizona University, and Physio Shop trainers Lauren Donnelly and Sara Chatham-Carey lead sessions for this year’s class, the Arizona Daily Sun reported.
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“It is physically challenging, it’s mentally demanding, it’s showing up every day,” Flagstaff Battalion Chief Kyle Denham said. “You are putting a lot of physical work in, which takes a toll on your body and your mind.”
Denham said most injuries he has seen in the fire academy are back injuries caused by lifting. The majority of a firefighter’s work is medical, he said, which can involve carrying and lifting patients. Rolled ankles and sprained wrists are also common, as firefighters work in unfamiliar locations with low visibility.
In the academy, recruits first completed a functional movement screening to identify risks, then were grouped by score for twice-weekly sessions. The athletic trainers then lead progressive functional exercises to build strength, mobility and stability.
A second session emphasizes rotational work, single-leg movements and core isometrics. A third focuses on recovery, including foam rolling and stretching.
Mulready tailored the program for “tactical athletes” with physically demanding roles like firefighters, law enforcement and other emergency responders.
“As an athletic trainer, I’m used to working with teams and having quick access to the athletes, doing prevention, screening, treatment, rehabilitation, referral,” Mulready said. “I was considering to myself, ‘Why isn’t this accessible to the people who provide us emergency care?’”
She contacted local agencies, and the fire department signed on.
“I’ve seen career-ending injuries that might have been prevented,” Denham said, supporting the effort.
The goal is for participants to carry these skills through their careers and share them with fellow firefighters.
