Fire Not Worst Danger- Poughkeepsie Journal Article

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Fire not worst danger

Primary killer of first responders is heart attack

By Nik Bonopartis

Poughkeepsie Journal

 

Karl Rabe/Poughkeepsie Journal 

FDR Fire District Lt. Jeff Grey works out at All-Sport in the City of Poughkeepsie. Departments are fighting heart attacks by offering stress counseling, healthier food choices and exercise incentives. 

Burning flames. Searing heat. Suffocating smoke.

For the public, part of the aura surrounding firefighters is the danger they face.

But the biggest threat to firefighters is a side effect of the elements they battle -- the stress that accompanies responding with speed and intensity to an emergency, and the cardiovascular effects that often take their toll after a fire is put out or an accident victim is pulled from a car.

Stress and exertion are the leading causes of death among firefighters, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. The vast majority of those firefighters are volunteers.

Half of fatalities

For every year except 2001 -- when more than 300 firefighters were killed in the World Trade Center collapse -- heart attacks have accounted for nearly half of all firefighter fatalities.

''The statistics speak for themselves,'' John Richardson, chief of the Arlington Fire District, said. ''The number of bad fires in the U.S. is dwindling, but the line-of-duty deaths have not decreased over the last 10 to 15 years.''

Though many of those firefighters suffered heart attacks responding to an emergency, statistics show that almost one in five heart attacks happen on the way to or from an incident.

That was the case in the death of Todd Smith, a 31-year-old New Paltz firefighter who died of a heart attack while running to an emergency call in January. And a heart-related malady is also suspected in the death Sunday of Alfred Wohrman, a Beekman firefighter who crashed into a stand of trees while returning from an accident call.

Among firefighters, the statistics have sparked an introspective look at this particular risk -- and how to prevent it. At the same time, advocacy organizations around the country are pushing for better health and wellness programs for America's first responders.

''There has been a real push toward health and safety in the fire service because of the number of firefighters who are dying each year,'' said Maggie Wilson, director of health and safety at the National Volunteer Fire Council, a Washington-based nonprofit.

Theories vary on why firefighters are statistically more susceptible to heart attacks. Most agree dashing out to emergency calls, and the intensity that comes with those calls, are the biggest factors.

''Any time you're going from your normal level of a relatively restive state and going to this high-exertion, highly stressful situation, that's difficult for anybody,'' said Marilyn Littlefoot, public health education coordinator at the Dutchess Health Department.

The county health department recently sponsored a pilot program in the LaGrange Fire District in which a personal trainer helped firefighters develop exercise routines.

Eating habits are also changing in LaGrange. Instead of pizza or chips at meetings, firefighters are now opting for salads and vegetable platters, Shawn Murray, an assistant chief at LaGrange, said.

''Overall,'' he said, ''we eat much healthier than we did in the past at our fire stations.''

Multifaceted approach

Nationally, the volunteer council has started the Hearty-Healthy Firefighter Program. Along with free health screenings and educational programs, the program will soon release a cookbook of healthier ways to prepare the communal meals firefighters are famous for.

Gym and cardiovascular equipment are available at some firehouses in the mid-Hudson Valley. At other fire departments, leaders are finding innovative ways to get their men and women into the gym. At Roosevelt, the department picks up half the cost of gym memberships for its members.

''People have to remember, because it is so stressful and such a strenuous workout, it's imperative that you're healthy, physically and mentally,'' Jeff Grey, a lieutenant and 13-year veteran with Roosevelt, said.

Grey works out three times a week. In each of those sessions, he works on his cardiovascular health with 30 minutes of running on a treadmill or pedaling a stationary bike, he said. During two of those workouts, he also does strength training.

Roosevelt has had its own experience with tragedy and the health of its members. In 1993, Capt. Ronald O'Rourke suffered a heart attack while returning from a detail at Roosevelt Station 1 on Cardinal Road. O'Rourke died after his car went off the road and struck a tree. Like Wohrman, he was 60 years old.

''It just happened all of a sudden,'' said Bill Ollivett, a friend of O'Rourke's since joining Roosevelt in 1964, describing the shock members felt at the time.

Coping with emotional stress

Although tragedy is a part of life for firefighters, they've developed mechanisms to counsel their own so stress doesn't lead to more deaths.

After Wohrman's death, members of the Dutchess County Critical Incident Response Team traveled to Beekman to console and counsel firefighters. The team's 12 members are all police officers, firefighters and paramedics who have been trained to help their colleagues deal with trauma and stress.

Steve Tuttle, a team member who is also an Arlington firefighter, said in addition to working day jobs, taking care of their families and going through the daily business of life, firefighters are often called to save the lives of children or cut severely injured people out of wrecked cars. Those situations can have a lasting impact if they're not addressed.

''Hopefully, we can reduce the impact of an incident on these emergency rescuers,'' Tuttle said. ''It's not counseling services or psychotherapy. The term we use is emotional first aid.''

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Nice article. It's good of the PJ to bring this issue to light.

And what is being done about the above situation in the WC???? Very little.

And sometimes, no matter how healthy we are, things like this happen due to the nature of the business.