Fire Rescue EMS Health, Fitness and Wellness News

Joe Palmer | 04/21/2013

We are family. We never forget. And as such, we have a wealth of experiences only matched by a few other professions. The traditions and values we carry with us collectively have served us well and they fill us with memories both good and bad. It is a given that our longevity and success as firefighters is dependent on our overall health, training and experience. Therefore, the necessity of maintenance of skills and physical capability is self-evident and practiced daily. However, part of retention and our healthy navigation to retirement must be measured in our behavioral wellbeing. Read More...

Relevant Tags: THE HOMEFRONT, health, behavioral, responders, behavioral health, first responders, health retaining

Dedra Cline | 04/21/2013

Spring is a time for change. Everything looks better in the springtime. Even those dreaded schedules that everyone brings to the family meets — because you know, summertime is near. Schedules, calendars, schedules, calendars — what more can we say. It is amazing how life has changed over the past 19 years for our family. Read More...

Relevant Tags: THE HOMEFRONT, calendar, schedules, family, shift calendar, calendar celebrate, christmas eve, significant others

Gail Ostrishko | 04/21/2013

Relationships are literally our roots to the universe. We all have them in varying depths and degrees, determined by the amount of time and energy we invest in cultivating those connections. Read More...

Relevant Tags: THE HOMEFRONT, relationships, commitment, connections, communicate, long term, effective relationships, common ground, shared values, short term, time energy

David Howell | 04/21/2013

If you’re already lifting weights why not do it with optimal results. This article is for the firefighter who is lifting weights and wants to know if they are doing the right lifts to become better at their job. The first thing you have to accept is that as firefighters we are athletes. We must train for performance. With personnel cuts happening every day, today’s firefighters are asked to do more work. You can either complain that it is not fair or do something to prepare yourself. Many firefighters like to lift weights to stay in shape. Let’s analyze where weight lifting in fire service is and where it needs to be for the future. Firefigh... Read More...

Relevant Tags: WELLNESS, olympic, fire, weight, training, weight lifting, olympic lifting, lifting weights, body building, body workout, david howell

Charles F. Turner, R.N. | 04/21/2013

As heart disease is the number one cause of on duty deaths, an academically and medically verifiable program is mandatory. Therefore, the fire service must do the research to ensure that their program meets all of the necessary criteria. Read More...

Relevant Tags: WELLNESS, program, health, research, aerobic, medically, verifiable, aerobic capacity, medically verifiable, health screening, program academically, screening program

By Martha Ball | 01/10/2013

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College partnered with city and county fire departments and the NC Department of Insurance to create B-FIT: Basic Firefighter Indoctrination Training, an intensive training program that challenges participants physically, mentally and academically. Almost 500 hours of instruction and hands-on application over a three-month period gives students the tools and experience needed to achieve the state’s Firefighter II certification. Candidates take a reading comprehension test, perform a physical agility test, and complete a written exam an application package. Read More...

Relevant Tags: training, academy, fit, firefighter, emergency, test, hose, physical, fire academy, agility test, scoring based, community college, fire service, reading comprehension, prepares mind

By Dedra Cline | 01/10/2013

Welcome back. Hope you enjoyed the first column of “Lessons learned on the home front.” I am sure this stirred memories of those “seasoned” couples. Everyone has a story, even the newest couple of the department. After my husband and teenage daughter read the column, they both looked at me asking “What is a DH.” To some DH may be designated hitter, but to me DH is my Dear Husband. Read More...

Relevant Tags: THE HOMEFRONT, department, winter, significant other, dangerous career

By Karen Leatherman | 01/10/2013

As I do 12 Lead EKG with O2 uptake testing for firefighters, I often hear comments,” I don’t have to be fit enough to run a road race like an athlete” or “we are taught as firefighters never to run”. While these comments may be correct, it still is important to understand 2 reasons why firefighters should strive to have a certain VO2 max. Read More...

Relevant Tags: WELLNESS, firefighters, fitness, vo2, fit, testing firefighters, body strength, healthy job, low fitness, fit healthy, max vo2, cardiovascular disease, upper body

Dedra Cline | 10/05/2012

Welcome to a new column for Carolina Fire Journal. This column will be for the significant other. Significant other being defined as a person, such as a family member or close friend, who is important or influential in one’s life. Here we will try to give support to the significant other on many different topics. Topics such as — Why does it seem as if my firefighter always has to work on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries or any important day? How do we support our firefighter when they are away on these important days? There will be additional questions and concerns. Read More...

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THE HOMEFRONT

| 10/05/2012

Located just north of Charlotte, N.C. is a village where imagination, fantasy, and history burst to life. It is a place where adults can feel and act like children while children are treated as royalty. It is a magical realm where you will forget about your daily cares and enjoy the magic of a simpler time and place. It is the Carolina Renaissance Festival and Artisan Marketplace. Read More...

Relevant Tags: FAMILY FUN, renaissance, festival, carolina, village, children, fun, renaissance festival, carolina renaissance, family fun, festival artisan

| 10/05/2012

The Hero Rush, will be held Saturday Oct. 20 at the zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway, 5555 Concord Parkway South. Read More...

Relevant Tags: hero, rush, fire, ems, hero rush, charlotte motor, parkway south, dragway charlotte, zmax dragway, concord parkway

| 08/01/2012

To help improve the health of EMS practitioners and reduce the number and severity of injuries, the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) has embarked on an EMS Fitness Project in collaboration with the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The initiative will identify fitness requirements for EMTs and paramedics and develop suggested fitness guidelines that take into consideration the variety of EMS delivery models and environments within which EMS operates. These suggested guidelines are intended to be used by: Read More...

Relevant Tags: EMS 2012, ems, fitness, naemt, emergency, practitioners, health, ems fitness, fitness project, american council, emergency medical, ems practitioners, exercise ace, council exercise, medical technicians, national association

Charles F. Turner | 08/01/2012

In September of 1980, OSHA issued its directive 1910.156 to the structural fire service, whether it’s paid, voluntary or industrial; “The employer shall assure that employees who are expected to do interior structural fire fighting are physically capable of performing duties which may be assigned to them during emergencies. The employer shall not permit employees with known heart disease, epilepsy or emphysema to participate in fire brigade emergency activities unless a physician’s certificate of the employee’s fitness to participate in such activities is provided.” Read More...

Relevant Tags: HEALTH AND FITNESS, fire, health, osha, service, firefighter, screening, structural, program, fire service, structural fire, health screening, health department, department osha, osha compliant, screening program, 198 osha

Dr. Gonzalo Fernandez and Dr. Lance Walker | 04/23/2012

Fitness for firefighters can be a controversial topic. As physicians we are often asked what the best “workout” is for a firefighter. The short answer is that there is no one workout that fits everyone’s needs. In this article we will discuss our philosophy about exercise and try to clear up some misconceptions about what it means to be fit. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Health & Fitness, fitness, firefighters, job, exercise, marathon runner, fitness firefighters, type work, specific training, high intensity, muscular endurance, firefighter fitness

Dr. Gonzalo Fernandez and Dr. Lance Walker | 10/14/2011

We are often asked by Fire Chiefs about OSHA 1910.156 and how it applies to fire departments. There is a great deal of confusion about what standard is applicable and which should be followed. This article will discuss the standards, their intent and applicability. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Health and Fitness, fire, standard, nfpa 1582, 191 156, osha 191, fight fire, fire brigade