Saturday, November 21, 2009

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....

Volunteers Make Wellness a Priority 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Volunteer Fire Council have published a new guidebook providing comprehensive information on...

FEMA and NVFC Release Fitness and Wellness Guide for Volunteers 

National Volunteer Fire Council

From Flab to Fit 

By Raymond Holloway

Motivated and inspired by the death of a firefighter after becoming chief of the Kerrville (Texas) Fire Department in 1983, I have been chiseling away...

SORRY, SUGAR 

By Brian A. Crawford

According to a recent report from the American Diabetes Association, more than 18.2 million people in the United States suffer from some sort of medical...

Roadmap to Health 

By Dr. Frank Pratt

Health and medical issues have become increasingly important to the North American fire service. Firefighters and fire service managers know all too well...