Fat and Lazy Fireman

Death of The Fire Service and a collapse of FD culture has systematically began. Fat, weak and unprepared we hobble towards our own demise. Firefighters today are at an all time high for being unhealthy and The Fire Service is reaping the first rotten fruits after years of planting seeds of apathy. The absence of Fitness and Health are starting to compound, resulting in pointless injuries and lost work time. Therefore, having negative repercussions on all personal, budgets and future retirement endeavors. According to NFPA (Karter, and Molis) in 2011 56.6% of all LOD (Line of Duty) injures were attributed to strain, sprain or muscular pain. It is time for us to stop being reactive lemmings with a heard mentality and start becoming educated and proactive. In FD culture we have championed our causes by being driven, educated and self reliant. But within the last ten years we have become weak minded, pill dependent, unaccountable, uneducated and lazy. Our problems are basic but easily fixable.

 General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is a measure of fitness compared to the amount of work you can preform at any given time.
The most common excuses for lack of GPP
I've got good ole boy strength
I don't want to work out on duty in case we have a big fire
old school guys didn't work out
I don't want to get hurt
I'm already hurting and don't want to worsen things
Good Ole Boy Strength only applies to Samson, Atlas and Hercules. If GPP is cultivated, working out on shift and performing job requirements will not be an issue. Old school guys always had a second job and it was usually manual labor, swinging a hammer all day will raise your GPP. Working out will allow your body to regain full range of motion and build lagging muscles. Lagging muscles lead to pain and injuries that never fully recover. Raising your bodies ability to work will alleviate your pains and help prevent injuries. Resistance training, cardio, and being more physically active all contribute to you GPP. Improvement of your GPP will keep you ready to respond and healthy at all times.

Strength is beneficial to all aspects of human performance. Making movements, coordination and balance easier through enhanced force production. Firefighting is primarily strength based with cardio undertones. On scene operations are centered around dynamic movement often maximal effort (drag, pull, push) alternating with low intensity periods. Improving a persons Strength will increase the ease of a physically taxing job like firefighting. Studies have shown that resistance training makes the muscles more efficient with a limited amount of O2, which improves conditioning reflected in VO2 Max. Cardio training is great and anyone could benefit from it alone, but resistance training should always be our bread and butter.

Injuries are often attributed to a lack to strength and improper movement patterns. Weakness leads to a mechanical breakdown of the body and added stress to joints and connective tissue. Although some injuries are sustained due to uncontrolled circumstances, most are avoidable with simple training methods and learning correct movements. The old adage "lift with your legs, not with your back" is a good starting place, but needs elaboration. Knee, Shoulder and Back injuries should be viewed from an athletic training perspective. Changing our approach to have direct ties with athletic training would yield benefits we can utilize based on proven methodology and rehab/prehab practices. Short term, long term and reoccurring injuries could be overwhelmingly reduced in one years time if a basic system were implemented.

Sleep is often overlooked when the most people think of how to increase their health. All health experts agree on the benefits and importance of sleep; Between 7-10 hours are recommended to receive the full recovery based on individual needs. The nature of station life is less than conducive to positive sleeping habits, putting us all at a possible 1/3rd sleep deficiency. You are not getting enough quality sleep, or you would feel better.

Nutrition affects every facet of our health and how our body operates. Auto Immune disorders, diabetes, obesity and all diseases can be hindered or helped simply by what our body consumes. Obesity itself can lead to other conditions, like Heart Disease (The #1 Killer of Firemen) and physical limitations through joint and connective tissue stress. Studies have shown that massive improvements and even the curing of certain conditions is possible with controlled eating habits. This is not Alchemy, it has been proven to the point of redundancy. Stop making excused for your poor diet, chasing a Fish Salad with 15 candy bars with a Diet Coke does not put you on the health train.

Simple and effective starting blocks for your FD
Exercise each shift: Lift, Run, Walk, Jazzercise, Sweat to The Oldies...ANYTHING!
Be proactive with recovery: Warm up, Stretch, Foam Roll, Ice what hurts, Soreness reducing Liniments, compress, OTC anti-inflammatory. Staying injured is a choice, not a lifestyle.
Sleep more, utilizing time when you can rest, recovery is vital to overall health.
Clean up your diet:
(Protein) beef, fish, chicken and lean pork
(Carbs) Veggies, sweet potato and fruit
(Fats) Coconut Oil, Fish Oil, Macadamia Oil, Natural Peanut and Almond butter.
5. Drink water, coffee and tea (if you must use a sweetener I recommend liquid Stevia)

By implementing the simple principles listed, dramatic changes can be made in one month. I challenge everyone reading to workout each day on shift, eat better, sleep more and invest in your current and future health.

We need quality education instead of spending thousands dollars on overpriced poorly made fitness equipment and fad training devices. We must adapt our approach to physical training, nutrition and education in order to reduce LOD injuries and prepare for work loads, everyday needs and someday retirement. The time for action is now, we must take control of our situation before policy and bureaucratic outsiders force us into compliance.



Karter, Michael, and Joseph Molis. www.nfpa.org. National Fire Protection Agency, October 2012. Web. 19 Dec 2012. <http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files//PDF/OS.FFInjuries.pdf>.