Amid the cling-clang of trolley cars, the barking of sea lions on Pier 39 and the eclectic hustle of big-city life sits the 42 firehouses charged with the task of protecting the city by the bay—the city of San Francisco (cue Tony Bennett). The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), like the city itself, boasts a long, rich history. Founded in 1866, the department has seen and survived its share of massive fires, earthquakes and other natural disasters, medical emergencies, etc.

But the SFFD also boasts its departures from history and tradition, such as its appointment of female fire chief Joanne Hayes-White, who is only the 18th woman in U.S. fire service history to lead a career fire department.

Another notable, more recent departure for the SFFD was its decision to use a FEMA grant to purchase specialized, state-of-the-art fitness equipment for each firehouse in an effort to meet the International Association of Fire Fighters' (IAFF) Wellness/Fitness Initiative protocol. Concern for firefighter fitness and health has been a mainstay among fire service leaders and watchdogs, but as is often the case in the fire service, tradition can override concern (and everything else). Many in the service believe they don’t need to keep an eagle-eye on their health because their fathers and grandfathers—and former brothers—ate steak and eggs for breakfast every day and lived to a ripe old age. Others either don’t know what’s required to maintain optimal health and therefore don’t try, or they believe their “physical fitness training” takes place when the tones go off. Still others believe they are watching what they eat and getting enough exercise, and they may be—in their opinion. Many times that opinion is wrong, and many times, people find that out the hard way.

I find myself surprised almost every day, not only when I hear of yet another tragic LODD, a large number of which are caused by post-incident cardiac arrest, but also when I hear of studies that find the mere act of carrying a charged hoseline up a flight of stairs poses serious health risks to those who perform it. (Disagree? Think I’m blowing things out of proportion? Read about the FEMA-sponsored study results.)

Which brings me back to the significance of the SFFD’s decision to update their firehouses with fully-equipped in-house gyms. I haven’t heard of many, if any, departments in this country that have taken a million-dollar FEMA grant and used it for cholesterol screenings, cancer screenings and commercial-grade gym equipment—in each firehouse. But the SFFD isn’t going to let tradition and forefathers stand in the way; it’s taking the health of its firefighters seriously. Very seriously.

Not that they haven’t always tried to incorporate fitness training into their schedule; on the contrary. “Our department has always had entry-level medical exams and the PAT,” says Natalie Levchenko, a firefighter/paramedic with the SFFD who manages the health and wellness program. “It used to be that people had to find the time to follow a fitness regimen on their own. Because of budget cuts and staffing issues, there was no formal ongoing fitness program. We also scheduled physical exams every 3 years, but they weren’t occuring as consistently as we would have liked. So we applied for the FEMA grant to improve the health and fitness program, which is somewhat based on the IAFF Wellness/Fitness Initiative."

The new equipment includes everything from elliptical gliders to recumbent bikes to stair climbers, power rack benches, weights and more. In all, the SFFD received more than 350 pieces of equipment. And as if that weren’t enough, Advantage Fitness Products, the equipment supplier, will also provide the SFFD with fitness and training support, as well as a critical preventative maintenance program.

One crucial element of the new program that isn’t a treadmill complete with cup holder, fan, iphone dock and flatscreen TV: testing (ah, yes, the beloved testing). “The program is still in its infancy stage, so at this point, we’re getting baselines,” Levchenko explains. “We’re conducting very comprehensive medical exams, stress tests for everyone over 35, blood tests and optional cancer screening.”

The SFFD has found it has an unusually high incidence of cancer among its personnel (a rather curious finding, don’t you think, since the National League of Cities just released their report, “Assessing State Firefighter Cancer Presumption Laws and Current Fir...,” which claims, against all anecdotal and scientific evidence collected over the past 10 years, that “there’s inadequate scientific research to determine a link between working as a firefighter and an elevated risk of contracting cancer.” Hmmm…For the complete report, visit the National League of Cities Web site.) Therefore, in addition to SFFD testing, the San Francisco Firefighter Cancer Prevention Foundation, a non-profit organization, is offering free cancer screenings to those interested.

Given this complete overhaul of the SFFD’s health and fitness program, getting people to actually use it and like it hasn’t been easy. “From what I observed in the beginning,” says Greg Collaco, SFFD firefighter, “some people were resistant to it. But once everyone came back with their BMIs, we found that many of us were overweight. Some people discovered they had high blood pressure, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. So it’s given us awareness and insight, and although we’re still in the infancy stage of people going in and doing a program, everyone cooks. Every person in a firehouse rotates and cooks. And now, I notice there’s less bread on the table and more fruits and vegetables.”

“But the new equipment has been such an incentive,” Collaco continues. “Before we had hand-me-down equipment that could’ve been put in a museum. It was also very inconsistent from station to station. Some had a lot of equipment and some had none. Now, the gyms are located in each firehouse and stocked with up-to-date—and warranteed—equipment.”

But of course, not everyone is going to get a FEMA grant to construct a home gym. So unless Oprah suddenly drops by and announces, “You get a gym! And you get a gym…!”, Levchenko suggests following the IAFF’s Wellness/Fitness Initiative’s information for how to implement a program in your department, and remember: It takes a while. “It’s not something you can do overnight,” she says. “It took almost 2 years for us, but for other departments, it was more like 4 years. Do it any way you can, but if you want to make it smoother, try to plan it out, organize, delegate.”

The SFFD is off and running, so to speak, as attitudes are changing and people become more aware of their health and fitness levels, realizing they really can change their habits and take charge of their own health. So what’s on the horizon for the SFFD? “Things like PTSD need to be addressed as well,” Collaco says. “PTSD treatment is something that’s just beginning to take shape. It’s a long-term goal with critical incident stress management teams and getting a stronger behavioral health program developed. We’ve had discussions about the needed expansion of those programs.”

“The San Francisco Firefighter Cancer Prevention Foundation is also working with UC Berkeley to expand research on dioxin levels in the blood after fires,” Levchenko adds.

Cindy Devone-Pacheco is senior editor of FireRescue magazine.