Research Reveals - 3 hrs of Firefighting may be bad for your firefighters.

April 2011 Journal of Vascular Medicine published a report that firefighting causes stiff arteries and “cardiac fatigue,” conditions also found in weightlifters and endurance athletes, according to two recent studies by researchers at the Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI), located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The researchers found that three hours of firefighting activity caused acute increases in arterial stiffness and impaired cardiac functioning in young, apparently healthy male firefighters. The study, which was published recently in the journal Vascular Medicine, is believed to be the first study to examine arterial stiffness and blood flow after fire-suppression activities

 

Read the full article here...   http://rockrivertimes.com/2011/12/28/firefighting-stiffens-arteries...

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Good link, thanks.

Ben just as you have been preaching even healthy firefighters are at risk.  

 

 Time / Exposure / Rehab save Brothers!!!

Wow - nothing like seeing it researched in print to knock the truth home

The "First In / Last to Leave" mentality needs to be adjusted by many old school Incident Commanders. If you don't, you are essentially shortening the lives or killing brother and sister firefighters without justification.    

Yet another study that can be used to bolster arguments for increased staffing; the more firefighters on the fire ground, the less exposure time to these stressors and the more time to recuperate.

And a VERY good argument for more (or much better) VFD pre-employment and annual physicals.

I agree Jack.

Agreed. Limiting re-entry and requiring periodic medical monitoring on the fire ground could make a difference. Even just the basics such as monitoring heart rate, pulse ox, and BP could indicate trouble ahead.

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