|
Why Many Firefighters Die
Commissioner, North Highlands Fire Department
By Hans Moeller
Firefighting is a very dangerous profession. Mining ranks as the number one occupation in terms of death and serious injuries - firefighting is number two. Year in, year out, over 50% of firefighter deaths countrywide are caused by overexertion, leading to heart attacks and strokes.
Fire departments stress good physical fitness as an overriding goal to prevent death on the job. Some make fitness training mandatory; others provide fitness training rooms, and encourage members to maintain and improve their health by using the equipment on a regular basis.
Volunteer departments usually require new members to submit to a comprehensive physical examination before being admitted as an active member, and an annual physical exam thereafter. Recommendations are given to anyone whose vital signs are not positive.
Fire department weight rooms are a good investment, so that members can maintain good physical fitness, which is vital to help avoid death on the job under the stress of hard manual labor.
It is also an excellent way to keep down the cost of Worker's Compensation for death or disability claims - a benefit for the tax-paying public.
| 
