Monday, December 1, 2008
Fitness
Wellness-Fitness Initiative Available
The International Association of Fire Chiefs and the International Association of Fire Fighters have released the third edition of their Wellness-Fitness Initiative in a DVD format....
Beware of Side Effects from Fit-for-Duty Tests
[ David Comstock Jr. ]
Cases will be resolved by people not familiar with the individual parties who objectively will view a fire department’s actions with hindsight in lieu of current legal standards, including those found in the ADA....
World Firefighter Games Held in England
The World Firefighters Games 08, hosted by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in Liverpool, England, saw more than 3,000 firefighters from more than 30 countries competing in events ranging from soccer and horse riding to tests of strength and fire service-specific tasks....
Personal Trainer
By Dr. Michael Weber
Fire departments should consider tailoring annual health assessments for each member to maximize their effectivness....
Slow Burn
By Rick Markley
An expert in slow-repetition training tells how to stock a fitness room and how to get the most from the equipment....
Is Fitness Frivolous?
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff addressed the 2006 Office of Grants & Training National Conference in Washington, D.C., late last year. Although I believe that Chertoff is usually pretty straightforward and appears to be a bright spot amid the clouds over the nation's capital, I was struck in the sternum by one sentence in his keynote address. ...
Active Ingredients
By Bruce Carter
Surely a clear understanding exists between the need for above-average levels of fitness and the activity of a firefighter. As almost any medical expert...
Knock at the Door
Michael Dubron is a firefighter/paramedic assigned to Air Operations with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. He's also a cancer survivor, and founder...
NVFC Heart-Healthy Program Screens Hundreds at FRI
The National Volunteer Fire Council’s Heart-Healthy Firefighter booth provided blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose level screening to almost 600 fire and emergency services personnel and their families at the recently concluded Fire-Rescue International conference in Dallas....
Resistance is Fruitful
By Janet Wilmoth
Endurance and strength both are possible with this simple fitness program....
No More Excuses
By Janet Wilmoth, Editorial Director
Our interviews with this year's fire chiefs of the year offer an interesting contrast. Chief Alan Brunacini of the Phoenix Fire Department, our 2006 Career...
Maryland Chiefs to Receive Fitness Funds
At a June 5 meeting, the Anne Arundel County (Md.) Council approved physical fitness stipends for senior fire chiefs. Chiefs now will enjoy the same $600 annual stipend that rank-and-file members of the local firefighters union receive....
Pointed Workout
By Alfred F. Morris
A U.S. Border Patrol program that stresses the accumulation of aerobic activity can serve as a model for emergency responders....
Fire Up Your Exercise Program
By Todd Lim, Orange County (Calif) Fire Authority Exercise Physiologist
The demands placed on firefighters can be tremendous, especially from a physical perspective....
Reduced Staff
By Jake Jaquet, Editor
With today’s emphasis on fitness, how overweight is too overweight? Deputy Chief David Atkocaitis took a radical step, but one that worked....
USFA, NVFC Release Volunteer Vehicle Safety Program
A new Internet-based program for emergency vehicle safe operations targeting volunteer and small combination departments is now online....
NFVC Names Fitness Challenge Winner
Michael Bitney of Spooner, Wis., is the winner of the National Volunteer Fire Council's first annual Fired Up For Fitness Challenge....
Dying for a Smoke
Careless smoking seems to be an especially lethal fire problem in Philadelphia, where Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers reported in May that smoking was responsible...
Firefighters With Heart Problems Responding
You wouldn't expect firefighters with known heart conditions to be responding to fires and other stressful emergencies, yet they often are on the front...
Firefighters With Known Heart Problems Responding
Pat West, Senior Editor
DHS Funds Biometric Study of Wildland Firefighters During Pack Tests
Commitment Issues
By Gregory B. Cade
Each October, the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service calls our attention to the perils of being a firefighter. While it's fitting to show our...
Chicago Increases Fitness Awareness
In December, the Chicago Fire Department officially launched a health and fitness awareness program complete with exercise video, nutritional cooking...
It's Time
Janet Wilmoth, Editor
Tim McGraw's song "Live Like You Were Dying" is a good stop-and-think song, sort of like the old Harry Chapin "Cat's in the Cradle" some 30 years ago. Maybe, for firefighters, there's another message in McGraw's song: Know when it's time to stop risking your life needlessly. ...
Showtime in Harrisburg, Pa.
Janet Wilmoth, Editor
I recently attended Fire Expo, sponsored and entirely run by Lancaster County Firemen's Association at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa. More than 20,000 attendees flooded the complex grounds this year....
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