NACOGDOCHES, Texas-- The death of 51-year-old Nacogdoches Fire Department Captain Ed Ivy in April saddened the family of local firefighters, but it also amplified the importance of physical fitness in their strenuous line of work.
Heart attack deaths such as Ivy's receive less attention than line-of-duty deaths that occur inside burning buildings, but, according to a 2006 International Association of Fire Fighters study, almost 45 percent of firefighter deaths stem from health-related issues.
To improve the health of its firefighters, NFD will soon begin a physical fitness and wellness program that will educate its employees while also requiring them to work out.
"I think they all realized it was important, but I think (Ivy's death) made it all more personal," said NFD Chief Keith Kiplinger. "You can read the numbers in a paper all you want, but now we've seen it."
In 2006, the Texas Commission on Fire Protection issued a mandate that all professional fire departments shall assess the health of personnel and address their needs. The department began working on a fitness plan before Kiplinger became chief in November, and the plan will begin taking shape in the next two months, the deadline for each firefighter to take a physical.
Instead of just meeting the minimum requirements laid out by the commission, Kiplinger said the department plans to improve every employee, from the most out-of-shape to the healthiest.
"Getting a call and jumping on the truck and racing down North Street can be stressful, and it gets your adrenaline pumping, but there is nothing more physically demanding than fighting a fire," Kiplinger said.
In the past year, three NFD firefighters took 100 hours of training through the Fire Service Joint Labor Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative to learn how to assess the needs of fellow workers and then design a workout program specifically for each firefighter. The initiative, a combined effort by the IAFF and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, intends to improve the overall health of fire department personnel and develop effective wellness programs.
After each firefighter gets a physical, one of the firefighters trained in the wellness-fitness initiative will address his or her current health, job-related duties and past injuries to craft the most useful fitness regimen.
Dell Birdwell, captain over NFD's rescue operations, already works out at least five times a week, combining cardiovascular fitness such as running with strength training. His job may include running the 75-pound Jaws of Life at a car wreck and then fighting the wilting heat of a house fire in the same day. Birdwell said he trains to be in a "constant state of readiness."
"You can be the strongest guy in the world, but if you don't have the cardio, it's null and void," he said.
Last month, the city of Nacogdoches struck a deal with The Court Club to allow city employees to work out for $5 a month in an effort to promote health and fitness and cut down on sick days, according to City Manager Jim Jeffers. NFD firefighters will receive free memberships and will be required to work out for one hour during each of their 24-hour shifts. While the program will cost the city about $48,000 a year, Jeffers has said he hopes it will make employees more productive while also cutting insurance costs and sick days.
In addition to improving physical fitness, Kiplinger said he plans to involve SFA health science students, who will study the program and educate firefighters about food choices "to try and keep people from going and working out and then going and eating fried foods."
Republished with permission of The Daily Sentinel.
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