Have you ever had to re-take a course because it wasn’t accepted when you changed schools or moved? Have you ever thought about going back for a degree or earning an advanced degree and wondered if that move was compatible with your career goals?

A decade ago, the U.S. Fire Administration and the National Fire Academy saw a lack of consistency among states, training facilities, and colleges and universities in their fire and emergency service curriculum and course guidelines. In 1998, the NFA invited a group of fire science coordinators to discuss the interrelationship of fire science programs and higher education. The result of that meeting was the Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education program, a network of post-secondary institutions with degree programs in fire, life-safety and emergency response that assists in establishing relationships between degrees and certifications.

One of FESHE’s goals is to develop consistency among institutions’ courses and curriculum, according to Ed Kaplan, the education program specialist for the USFA/NFA and point person for FESHE. Kaplan explained that each state frequently has its own set of requirements or qualifications for levels of fire and EMS personnel. “Even consistency in course titles would have a tremendous impact,” he said.

Another goal is to create a national model for an integrated, progressive system of higher education “so that an associate’s degree is feeding into bachelor’s [of science],” Kaplan said. In 2001, FESHE was instrumental in convincing major textbook publishers to agree to write textbooks that match the outlines of the National Fire Science Curriculum Committee‘s Model Curriculum.

“Just like radios and hoses need to connect, so do the intricacies of training and education,” said Kaplan. While nothing is mandated, Kaplan added, “Our goal is to be holistic. Firefighter I requires eight hours of fire behavior; that‘s all you get before you move on. If we add fire, burn and combustion, [students] learn the chemistries. And that makes a better firefighter — if they understand the symptoms of flashover.”

Kaplan recommended that anyone pursuing higher education in the emergency services should have a copy of the IAFC Officer Development Handbook developed by the IAFC‘s Professional Development Committee. At $15, the handbook is an excellent guideline on professional development for a fire officer, and proceeds support the IAFC Foundation scholarship program. Even if you currently don‘t aspire to be an officer, it‘s worth having the book to guide you to classes that will count as credits.

Kaplan offered further suggestions:

1. Go to the FESHE Web page and learn what‘s happening in fire and emergency service education and professional development.




2. If you are in a fire science–degree program either as a faculty member, student or advisory committee member, ask the program coordinator if the program has lined up with the national FESHE model fire science curriculum. If not, ask why and encourage the coordinator to do so.




3. Get the first or next degree you are lacking.




4. Partner your fire department programs with the FESHE degree programs to provide your personnel with a standardized education that‘s national in scope and supported by colleges and universities around the country, all the major textbook publishers, and growing numbers of state and local fire service agencies.

Consistency in training and education just might reduce the risk of hiring a firefighter or promoting an officer who is not qualified or capable. It might even prevent firefighter injuries and fatalities.

Now that‘s progress.

Previously, I looked at how clusters of homes on smaller plots of land increase fire hazards. In some cases, these homes are less than 10 feet apart. Fire chiefs also must view the challenges associated with the narrow streets in cluster developments from yet another angle — the actual fireground operations and tactics. Apparatus placement is significant in fireground operations. The narrow streets and long dead ends present major challenges to response and further delay rescue and suppression efforts.

In fighting fires, the actual battle is against time. Considering that fire grows exponentially with time, the longer it takes for firefighters to be dispatched, arrive at the scene, set up, and finally put water on the fire, the bigger the fire we have to face.

Before putting the wet stuff on the red stuff though, we need to vent the building. Considering narrow street frontage, laddering the front of these cluster homes in itself is challenging even on flat grade. Raising a 28-foot ground ladder to the second-story window on the side of these cluster dwellings might be impossible. And the 35-foot ground ladder would not be adequate to safely get to the roof of a 3-story dwellings.

Of course, that is even more challenging when the exterior wall is only three feet from the property line. Even trying to raise the 35-foot ground ladder from the neighbor‘s house (which is also only three feet away, on the other side of the property line) to reach the roof would result in a very steep and unsafe climbing angle of around 80 degrees.

One way or another we will eventually get it done, but all that takes time. Do we have much time to spare, considering the lightweight truss construction of these clustered dwellings and their collapse potential? The more time we spend on setting up, the less time firefighters have for interior search and rescue and roof ventilation.

Using aerial units is much safer for our rescue and ventilation operations, but trying to get a ladder truck in these narrow streets is itself a challenge. If the engines arrive first and are staged in front of the dwelling, getting the aerial in a usable position would be even more challenging.

Fire station locations and area coverage, apparatus allocations and staffing, future planning, and the new fire station design, are the other important angles that the fire chief should consider in reviewing the challenges associated with these cluster developments. In the west, most aerials were stationed around downtown areas where the majority of the commercial mid-rises or high-rises were constructed. With the urban sprawl of the past decades, the suburban fire stations generally were designed the house a couple of fire engines and a rescue unit. After all, most of those tract developments were far apart and only two stories high.

But with these new 3-story cluster housing developments, aerials are much more essential, and the extensive travel time to get them to the suburbs from the downtown stations is detrimental to operations.

The solution might not be as easy as merely relocating the aerials to suburban fire stations. More than likely, the aerials are too long and won’t fit in the bays of the existing fire stations. Unless, of course, parking the aerials outside is an option that you are willing to entertain. Again we might be able to mitigate this situation if these cluster dwellings were protected with fire sprinklers.

Also most fire departments use their cookie-cutter fire station designs for their future stations as they had done in the past, so fitting the aerials into the fire stations might still be an afterthought.

The fire service needs to get actively involved in planning commission meetings and public hearings, especially when such cluster developments are being proposed. Fire station location, apparatus placement, equipment, and staffing requirements are very important and costly factors that the fire chief and the jurisdiction must consider upfront.

Often for the larger master-plan communities, the developers must pay impact fees or are required to provide land or even build a new fire station for their development. Fire chiefs must have a strategic plan and should evaluate such proposals in great detail. Inadequate fire station design will not be the answer, and insufficient staffing, equipment and apparatus only compound the problem.

Elected officials and the top administrators must be fully aware of all these long-term risks and the expenditures. A detailed cost/benefit analysis would prove to them that residential fire sprinkler systems are invaluable in saving lives and the most efficient and cost-effective way to protect our communities.

Economic development and tax-base increases are indeed the absolute necessities for the thriving communities. But then the key is having long-term strategic view for the community‘s development and nourishing sustained smart growth.

These cluster developments are going to be with us for a very long time. We can and must be proactive and provide for the highest level of fire protection and life-safety both for the occupants and for firefighters. Allow for economic growth and high-density design, and yet provide the most efficient and highest level of life-safety and fire protection. Residential fire sprinkler systems are an essential part of the community‘s smart growth.

This month Wyoming, Ohio, held its annual disaster exercise, which brings together key personnel from all city departments. Most of the department heads were fresh from NIMS training, so there was more enthusiasm. This was especially true of the directors of the public works and building departments, who recently completed NIMS 300 and 400.

The exercise scenarios have varied over the years, but usually centered on incidents that potentially could befall the community. In the past these have ranged from a train derailment with evacuation of the downtown business district to a snow and ice emergency that slows activity to a snail‘s pace.

This year, the Wyoming City School District joined the combined exercise. The scenario was relatively simple: a tornado struck during school hours, cutting a square mile swath through a residential area and damaging an elementary school and nearby high school. Some students at the elementary school were reported to be injured by flying glass, and the normal routes to the school were blocked by downed trees and power lines.

The exercise covered the initial response of fire, EMS, police and public works: incident command, damage assessment, public information, resident relocation and community recovery. The school district had to deal with anxious parents, decide to maintain students beyond dismissal to ensure they remained in a relatively safe environment, and close a school and relocate the affected students.

The city dealt with the assessment of damage and habitability by the building department and the coordination of state and federal resources in the recovery process. The damage and debris field was mapped out at the EOC as crews simulated the assessments of the destruction with 20 homes with severe damaged, 120 homes and one elementary school with moderate damage, and 70 homes and the high school with minor to moderate damage.

The exercise simulated the plan of several 12-hour operational periods, the need for administrative records and financial tracking, and the transition of command from the response to the extended recovery period. While several weak areas, including communications, clearly needed improvement, the exercise successfully enabled the city to review its current disaster plan and coordinate its future responses with the school district.

One of the lasting benefits to the exercise was that the city and the school district were able to network key people who would be a part of any actual incident. By providing an opportunity to think, plan and learn from one another, planners can begin to overcome major barriers in any future emergency operation. Plans already are underway for next year‘s disaster exercise to include more area partners.

When was the last time your disaster plan was dusted off and exercised? With the need for NIMS compliance within the next year, has NIMS training taken priority over any actual disaster exercise?

I hope you find a quiet moment tomorrow to count the blessings in your life. Family and friends are as important as the air we breathe and the food we eat — life would be difficult without them. We should be thankful for each person in our life‘s circle.

You in the fire and emergency services frequently meet people in the bad moments of their lives. Those moments sometimes stay with you and hopefully make you more aware of the blessings in your own lives. Your thanksgivings are probably more frequent than the rest of the population.

When I thought back on this year, I found many things to be thankful for within the fire service.

I’m thankful that fire service organizations and the fire and emergency service industry have worked together more than any other year, speaking with one voice to government agencies and congressional leaders.

I’m thankful for two chiefs who are right where the fire service needs them: FEMA Director Dave Paulison and U.S. Fire Administration Director Greg Cade.

I’m thankful that the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation‘s 16 Life-Safety Initiatives and Everyone Goes Home campaigns still are being promoted actively across America.

I’m thankful that the IAFF‘s Redmond Symposium was held in Chicago, which allowed me to hear speakers talk about apparatus safety and health issues, among other topics.

I’m thankful for the people who donate food to fire departments for the firefighters who have to work on Thanksgiving Day (and work they do).

I’m thankful that the National Volunteer Fire Council’s aggressive Heart Healthy education program is trying to change the fire service one heart at a time.

I’m thankful that the IAFC‘s Near-Miss Reporting System exists and that John Tippett is willing to travel and teach classes about this program.

I’m thankful that Billy Goldfeder and The Secret List deliver in-your-face information about firefighter and first-responder injuries and fatalities anywhere in the world.

I’m thankful for chiefs and officers who aren‘t afraid to step up and support fire prevention, safety, vehicle maintenance, and health and fitness.

I’m thankful that volunteer fire departments still exist and members are willing to leave their Thanksgiving dinners to respond to calls from neighbors in trouble.

Whether you are with family and friends, working or on call, have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving Day.

In some ways, stories are like Russian dolls; each contains a smaller story inside. Often, these smaller stories go untold.

The November issue of FIRE CHIEF featured a story about Frisco, Texas, Fire Chief Mack Borchardt and a new safety village geared mostly for children. It is a good story for any department that is considering building a safety village.

But there’s another story inside; it‘s one of change. And inside that story, there’s a story of lack of change.

Borchard is a lifelong resident of Frisco. His high school graduating class was fewer than 40 students. In 1970 the city had less than 2,000 residents. By 1990, the population had crested 6,000. In 2000, it was just shy of 34,000. In three years, it will likely reach 120,000, and that number is expected to more than double by 2020. Borchardt has been at the fire department’s helm during the city’s explosive growth. Frisco is building about one new fire station every two years.

As Borchardt led me on a tour of Frisco’s central station, we walked through the locker room for turnout gear. All the gear was clean and hung on shiny racks — except for one set of gear that still was dirty from the previous night’s fire. I don’t know Borchardt very well, but my gut tells me that firefighter won’t leave behind dirty gear again.

Charleston (S.C.) Mayor Joseph Riley hired fire service experts to form a task force to evaluate that city’s fire department after nine firefighters died in a June 18 furniture store fire. The report is the first of three and reads like a grocery listed of recommended changes. I met with firefighters who told me that about 30% of the department’s firefighters buy their gear own because what’s provided is in poor repair or does not fit. Other sources have told me the CFD is stuck in the past. The happenings in Charleston have been some of the most talked about in the fire service. So much so in fact, that a recent letter to FIRE CHIEF asked people to stop bashing the department and let it heal.

It is not my intent to gather up an armload of rocks and take my place in line at the Rusty Thomas stoning. Nor is it my intent to chisel a pedestal where Borchard may reside. I haven’t the qualifications to do either.

But, if the fire service is to grow and improve, the public dialogue about Charleston must continue. And it must be driven home that one of the more important lessons to come of the tragedy in South Carolina is the need for constant evaluation and change.

Change and evaluation are hard and scary. Taking that hard, long, honest look in the mirror often reveals things we prefer not to see. It is easier, and sometimes better for our mental health, to see ourselves through rose-colored glasses. Change requires us to move from the place where we feel most comfortable into the unknown. And things like laziness and flat-out stubbornness serve as barriers to change. Even in a job where there is nothing at risk, say that of a magazine editor, self-evaluation and change are necessary, yet difficult. (I still harbor the private, unrealistic hope that the Internet as a publishing medium is just a fad.)

And not all change is for the better, even when it comes from a trusted expert. Consider that Isaac Newton was convinced that not only was gravity real, but alchemy was as well. Both ideas had to be evaluated and pursued; it is a function that lets us humans grow and survive.

In Charleston, Thomas and Rileyare vowing change in tradegy’s wake. In Frisco, Borchard has changed with his changing community and managed to keep a step ahead of tragedy. Yes, luck may be a factor in both cases. But preparation goes a long way to determining one’s luck.

So it is my hope that the story resting inside the Charleston story is one of fire chiefs everywhere re-evaluating and changing.

Concord (Mass.) Fire Chief Ken Willette sent me a reminder this week to again request and post online the names of firefighters serving in the military overseas. Willette must have ESP, because I had planned to do just that this week.

If you know of a firefighter/soldier serving overseas who might enjoy a holiday greeting card or note of appreciation, send his or her mailing address and it will be posted on FireChief.com. If you know of a firefighter/soldier in the hospital, send his or her contact info along, also.

Last year, Willette sent the addresses of his son and nephew to be included on the holiday card list. “Both of them received cards from chiefs they never knew or met and it made their holiday season a bit brighter,” Willette wrote. “My nephew … e-mailed me that he had received hundreds of cards from folks he didn’t know, and it was crazy, but he loved it!”

Chief Willette‘s son, Capt. James Willette, is with the U.S. Army‘s 10th Mountain Division and served in Afghanistan for 16 months. He returned home in June, but is due for redeployment.

Chief Willette‘s nephew, Staff Sgt. Daniel Newsome was with 1st Cavalry, 8th Regiment, 2nd Platoon. He was home for two weeks in May and mentioned the Christmas cards again to his uncle. “That‘s the fire service for you,” Willette told his nephew.

After he celebrated his son‘s first birthday, Newsome returned to Iraq and moved to a forward outpost as a platoon staff sergeant. He died on June 27 when his humvee was struck by an improvised explosive device.

“In his memory, and to show support for all our deployed troops, can I ask for your support again this year to do the cards for troops campaign?” Willette wrote. “With the help of FIRE CHIEF and the [International Association of Fire Chiefs], we could reach out to those recovering in military hospitals as well as those on the battlefield.”

Willette told me that since Sept. 11, 2001, 230 Massachusetts firefighters have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Massachusetts Fire Chiefs Association actively supports troops overseas and last week, Gov. Deval Patrick presented the association’s Firefighter of the Year Award. Patrick recognized all firefighters serving in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom with a scroll of honor and a service bar to be worn on their uniforms. Four medals also were presented to firefighters who performed heroic acts on the battlefield. Sadly, one firefighter’s wife had to accept his medal because he had be deployed for the fourth time.

Before you start making plans for the holidays, please take a moment and send the name and address of your firefighter/soldier serving overseas. The names will be posted as they are received. Over the course of your holiday preparations, send a card or note to those on this “double-duty” holiday list.

We‘ll remember, because how could we forget?

Take a look at the article about hidden war costs on CNN’s Web site. Based on a report from the House Joint Economic Committee, “the total economic impact of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is estimated at $1.6 trillion by 2009.” This article also says that “the committee calculated the average cost of both wars for a family of four would be $20,900 from 2002 to 2008.”

The committee’s report estimates that the cost of war is “nearly double the $804 billion in direct war costs the White House requested so far from Congress…. [T]he higher total economic impact comes from, among other things, the cost of borrowing money to pay for the war, lost productivity, higher oil prices and the cost of health care for veterans.”

Let‘s do a similar calculation to find out how much money an average family of four pays for the total cost of fire in the United States during same six-year span that the congressional report covered.

The NFPA‘s The Total Cost of Fire in United States report indicates that for 2004, “the total cost was estimated at $231–278 billion, or roughly 2 to 2-1/2% of U.S. gross domestic product.” Based on the statistics available from the U.S. Census Bureau, the total estimated population of the United States in 2004 was 293,655,404.

Now divide the total cost of fire by the total population to calculate the total cost of fire per capita in the United States in 2004:

$278 billion/293,655,404 = $946.69

That is $946.69 for every single American. Now multiply that by four to calculate the total cost of fire in the United States for a family of four in 2004:

$946.69 X 4 = $3,786.75

That is the total cost of fire in 2004 for a family of four. Now multiply that by six to get the total cost for the six-year span:

$3,786.75 X 6 = $22,720.56

Notice that the estimated total cost of fire of $22,720 is more than the $20,900 that the calculated cost of war that the congressional committee reported.

The calculation in the congressional report has many additional factors that have inflated the actual cost of war thus far. Obviously our simple mathematics don’t cover the inflationary impact of those parameters, yet still the total cost of fire was higher than their predictions for the war.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said that the actual cost of war is about $12 billion a month. Divide $278 billion a year by 12 months and you get $23.16 billion a month for fire. That is twice the cost of war.

As of Wednesday morning, the total number of American casualties in Iraq was 3,863 in four-and-a-half years. This number is similar to the number of fire fatalities the United States has every year, which add up to about four times as the fatalities of the war.

If only people knew about our fire statistics. I only wish our politicians could put things in perspective and compare our total cost of fire to their total cost of war. It is up to us to provide them with that information.

Recent increases in interest rates have had an adverse effect on the housing market, and new-home construction has slowed significantly nationwide. This current valley follows nearly 10 years of peaks for the housing industry that resulted in a significant surge in land prices and new home costs.

Higher-density construction emerged as a means to reduce the sticker price for new houses. The developers built houses that were smaller and closer together, with the narrow street frontage (35 to 40 feet) facing much narrower streets (20 to 25 feet wide), some of which are dead ends. This way the developers could build more units per acre. In theory, this would decrease the cost of land per unit, thus lowering the cost per house and making homes more affordable to the consumers.

But as we all know, supply and demand is the name of the game in our market-driven economy. Needless to say, the altruistic facade of affordability faded away as fast as the rapid pace of the construction boom. And throughout the country the prices for new houses continued to soar at record rates.

These cluster subdivisions not only challenge the fire protection concepts of the construction codes for residential dwellings, but even push the envelope for the good old-fashioned common sense of general community safety. It is easy to figure out that on a bad fire day, lots of dry lumber piled up very close together could result in much bigger fires.

The International Code Council publishes the International Residential Code that governs construction of one- and two-family dwellings not exceeding three stories in height. Based on the provisions in the 2003 edition of the IRC, the exterior walls of the house were not required to have fire-resistive rating if they were not closer than three feet to the property line.

Fortunately, ICC eventually recognized the significant fire exposure problems, and its 2006 edition of the IRC, modified the 3-foot requirement to a minimum of five feet away from the property line. If the houses are designed closer to the property line, the exterior wall must be a one-hour fire-resistive rating.

Out here in the West, these non-rated exterior walls are mostly constructed of 2 x 4 framing, with a layer of 1/2-inch gypsum board on the inside, expanded foam in the middle for insulation, chicken wire, and then finally a layer of stucco on the outside of the wall. Generally, the major difference between the non-rated wall and the one-hour rated wall is that the 1/2-inch gypsum board is little thicker (5/8 inch).

Remember that the one-hour fire-resistive rating doesn‘t necessarily mean that the wall will last for one hour during an actual fire. The fire-resistive rating was established decades ago during the laboratory testing. An even more important fact to remember is that when the exterior wall is between three and five feet from the property line, the IRC allows for 25% of the one-hour fire-resistive exterior wall to be unprotected openings such as windows or vents.

Having all these areas of unprotected openings should make us think twice about the fire-exposure problems. In these cookie-cutter tract home cluster designs, the windows and vents are in close proximity to or directly facing each other. The closer together they build these cluster dwellings, the higher the chances of fire jumping from one house to the next.

In a fire scenario, especially with wind conditions, the heat from the fire in one house could definitely create fire exposure hazards for the neighboring house. The heat could begin melting the expanded foam insulation inside the exterior wall of the second house, getting that one involved also. That is, of course, if the fire has not already jumped across those unprotected bedroom windows and vents to the neighboring dwelling.

In these situations, residential fire sprinkler systems could be a great solution. Clearly, by extinguishing the fire in the incipient stage, fire sprinklers save the occupants lives. But then for most fire scenarios — other than the attic fires, as codes do not require installation of fire sprinklers in the attics of one- and two-family dwellings except as needed to protect fuel-fired equipment — fire sprinklers could also significantly reduce the probability of conflagration. That would then decrease the fire exposure intensity for the neighboring structure, thus reducing the probability of fire jumping from one building to the other.

In one- and two-family dwellings, regardless of the fire-resistive rating of the exterior walls, residential fire sprinkler systems could provide a much higher degree of life safety for the occupants of an involved house than can the passive fire-resistive rating of their exterior walls. The fire rating of the exterior wall is merely important for the fire exposures from the outside.

With the fires on the outside, the inside of the house would still be tenable, at least to a degree to afford the occupants of the house the chance to safely evacuate. If the fire in your neighbor‘s house is controlled by the residential fire sprinkler and contained, the fire rating of your exterior wall maybe of importance for the property protection purposes, but of less value for your life safety.

Also, by stopping the fire progression, fire sprinklers provide a much higher degree of safety for the firefighters. In confronting a fully involved structure, firefighters could face a higher probability of structural collapse, especially with the newer built houses that have lightweight wood trusses. And as you know, the fire service has long been concerned about the structural stability of these lightweight wood trusses under the adverse fire conditions.

As a result of these concerns, Department of Homeland Security recently awarded Underwriters Laboratories a grant to study the structural stability and performance of the engineered lumber and lightweight wood trusses under adverse fire conditions. The results of this study will be quite valuable and could even further highlight the importance of residential fire sprinklers in protecting our own firefighters. After all, by discharging water at the earliest stages and containing the fire, structural members would not be exposed to the flames; therefore, risk of structural failure is eliminated.

In part two, I’ll discuss the need to get aerials on the scene and some of the forces at work against this goal.

Recently, I spoke at the Peoria Regional Battalion Chief Academy in Arizona, which is designed to examine the many roles and responsibilities required of a chief officer. The academy was run in conjunction with the Maricopa County Community College District and participation is worth three credit hours toward an associate’s degree.

Approximately 56 captains who aspire to be battalion chiefs and several current battalion chiefs participated in the program, which was held on Thursdays and Fridays over five consecutive weeks. The sessions were divided into operations and leadership, each taught by officers and chiefs. A number of the instructors were local experts in communication and media.

In the course‘s introduction, Peoria Chief Robert McKibben said, “The position of chief officer is a complex role that requires leadership, management, supervision and participant activities. These different roles are not always clearly defined, and overlaps do occur.”

The program defines the role of battalion chief as having the greatest influence — positive or negative — on the company officer, “particularly the newly promoted supervisor.” The battalion chief academy was designed to educate, but also to empower the attendees with management skills and leadership abilities.

The course description says “managers generally tend to focus on the bottomline and doing things right. Leaders tend to focus on the top line and doing the right things.” Battalion chiefs are both.

In my presentation, I asked participants what they thought were some habits or traits of a “highly effective” battalion chief. The students quickly offered confidence and accountability followed by 12 more traits. The attendees also agreed to help turn their career experiences and academy lessons into an article about effective battalion chiefs.

I‘ve been told repeatedly that the “BCs run the department” and knowing how much fire chiefs have on their agendas these days, battalion chiefs will only be more critical to an emergency organization.

In his presentation, “Developing your own Leadership Style,” Peoria‘s Deputy Chief Larry Rooney offered a quote from Colin Powell: “Values are the bedrock of our foundation.”

Are battalion chiefs the bedrock of the fire service foundation? It appears so!

Make no mistake, fire and emergency medical service is physically demanding work — always has been and always will be. Despite the technology that has made the job safer and less punishing, fighting fires still involves people lugging hose into burning buildings and carrying Mrs. Smith down two flights of stairs at 3 a.m. Over the course of a 25- or 30-year career, the small aches and pains can accumulate into larger health issues.

Last week, I went for the final health assessment of my 25-plus-year career with Chesterfield Fire & EMS. It was one of the more progressive departments in the United States in 1990 when it first offered the annual health assessments to career personnel. As I finish my career with the organization this week, I now have 17 years of health assessment data by which to measure how successfully I‘ve navigated the physical challenges of my chosen profession.

To paraphrase the physician who conducted my assessment after reviewing the multi-page self-assessment and data collection form, I’m a 49-year-old male who’s in excellent physical condition based on my physical assessment. My only significant medical history involves elevated cholesterol levels, which are being managed with a combination of diet and exercise.

Let’s take a closer look my assessment results in regard to common firefighter health issues:

• Cardiovascular health. Resting blood pressure of 124/82 mm/Hg. Exertion blood pressure (following three minutes of running in place) 130/86 mm/Hg. 12-lead ECG was within normal parameters in all leads. We get a treadmill stress test every three years; my last one was last year and showed no abnormalities.




• Pulmonary health. My pulmonary function test was within normal limits and indicated that I have the lung function of a 30-year-old male.




• Weight control. I stand 5 feet 4 inches tall and I weighed 140 pounds when I came on the job in 1982. Yesterday, I weighed in at 160 pounds. On the Body-Mass Index scale BMI calculator, which my department uses as a performance measure, I come up at an index of 27.5, which places me in a place I don‘t want to be on the scale — overweight. Normal range for my height should be 18.5 to 24.9. Obviously I have some work to do there.




• Hearing. Despite what my wife tells me every day, my hearing test indicated that I‘ve only lost the ability to hear sounds on the very edge of high frequency. Such loss is not attributable to exposure to noise, but rather to infection. I‘ve seen an ear, nose and throat specialist in the past couple of years for recurring ear infections, and the doctor’s attributed that loss to repeated ear infections in my childhood.




• Injuries. I‘m very fortunate in that I‘ve never experienced an on-the-job injury, lost time or otherwise. We earn 15 hours of sick leave each month, and the accumulated balance carries over each year. I‘m retiring with 3,720 hours on the books. Over the course of my career I‘ve earned 4,605 hours, which means I‘ve only used 20% of my available sick leave over the past 25 years.

So what‘s the point? We hear and see a great deal these days about reducing the mortality and morbidity rates for firefighters, and much of that focus lately is on the health, wellness and safety issues. These include reducing heart attacks from cardiovascular disease or improving compliance with seatbelt usage, as opposed to operational factors such as structural collapses or flashover events. The positive results of my last physical assessment, which were very consistent with those of the previous 16 assessments, are directly linked to the behaviors of my organization and my individual behaviors.

• Cardiovascular health. The department always has allotted time in the workday for physical training. When I first came to work, we had a plan that consisted of a chart of compulsory calisthenics that everyone on the shift had to complete. From there we progressed through a variety of structured programs that addressed cardiovascular weight and flexibility training. I learned very early that the most important part of the firefighter safety ensemble was me — the body I put into my gear. My running days are over; now I get my 30 minutes of aerobic activity each day by walking briskly while wearing a 30-pound weighted vest.




• Pulmonary health. I‘ve never smoked and my department has always had a mandatory mask policy when it comes to SCBA use. In my career, we‘ve never had a smoke inhalation injury.




• Weight control. I‘ll skip this part if it‘s OK with you. (This is what‘s known in some circles as taking “literary license.”)




• Hearing. I first began wearing shooting earmuff–style hearing protection in the front seat while responding to calls in 1985 when I became a company officer. Since then I‘ve always worn the muff-style protection when responding as a chief officer and I‘ve always worn disposable earplugs on the emergency scene and the training grounds. Chesterfield County has a county-wide hearing conservation policy and my department goes beyond those requirements in several areas. Starting in the early 1990s, we started installing radio/intercom headsets in the riding positions on our apparatus; today all of our units have the headsets and they are standard equipment on new apparatus.




• Injuries. My department has always provided us with the best protective clothing, SCBA, eye protection, and more that money could buy (we‘re in the third generation of SCBA during my career). We hired our first department safety officer in the 1985. We learned to use ICS, and have used it for every emergency, everyday, since 1985. We‘ve always had a mandatory seatbelt-use policy and our drivers have always had to stop at red lights and stop signs while responding to emergencies. Our safety slogan reflects how much safety is part of our organizational DNA: “Risk a lot to save a life, Risk a little to save a little, Risk nothing to save nothing.”

It seems to me that many fire and EMS organizations are Johnny-come-lately when it comes to the health and well-being of their people, and some still have not come to the party. I‘ve been very fortunate to have spent my career with one of the organizations that‘s frequently been on the forefront of efforts to constantly make improvements for the safety, health and welfare of its people. I‘m just the latest of many in our organization who‘s reached the goal of retiring with good health. Thank you Chesterfield Fire & EMS!