If you don’t have the discipline to do a 30-minute workout, how can you expect to endure a 30-year career?
In our line of work, where lives are at stake, fitness isn’t an option—it is a requirement. If you believe that you can just “get by” with being mediocre, think again. Ask any citizen what they expect of their firefighters, their response will likely resemble Chicago (IL) Deputy Chief John Eversole’s philosophy:
“Our department takes 1,120 calls every day. Do you know how many of the calls the public expects perfection on? 1,120. Nobody calls the fire department and says, ‘Send me two dumbass firemen in a pickup truck.’ In three minutes, they want five brain-surgeon decathlon champions to come and solve all their problems.”
For those who need some extra motivation to take their fitness more seriously, we offer the following 10 reasons.
1. The Oath
Let’s remember that no one forced us to join the fire service. We chose to be here and we swore an oath to serve our citizens and our fellow firefighters to the best of our abilities. We swore to be ready and prepared for them–tactically, mentally, and physically.
What does your current physical condition say about the oath you swore? If you are obese and out of shape, you aren’t living up to what you promised. Remember that one of us represents all of us–the way the public perceives a grossly overweight, deconditioned firefighter reflects poorly on fellow firefighters and the profession as a whole.
Simply put, we aren’t bankers or accountants with desk jobs. We are firefighters, and we are held to a higher standard because lives depend on us. And if you think you get a free pass for being a volunteer firefighter, think again–you are expected to execute at the same level as paid firefighters.
2. Performance
Our job is performance-driven—period. We don’t sell widgets for a living, we don’t meet monthly quotas, we don’t push papers. We are tactical athletes who are required to perform at the highest level that the human body can perform. The physical demands of firefighting are like no other sport or profession, and we must train accordingly.
When it all comes down to it, our end-performance is the result of preparation and execution. If we physically prepare our bodies with the appropriate level of fitness training, then we set ourselves up for successful execution of our duties.
So, when it comes to your physical training, are you taking it seriously? Does your training reflect the physical demands of the job? Is it realistic and relevant to the level you need to perform on the fireground?
3. Don’t Become a Statistic
We all know the statistics. Year after year, decade after decade, too many firefighters are dying from cardiovascular events, primarily heart attacks and strokes. Of the yearly line-of-duty deaths for firefighters, nearly 50% fall under this category. This must change!
Another alarming statistic for the fire service is annual weight gain. Did you know that on average, a firefighter gains 2.2 pounds every year? Over the course of a 30-year career, this weight gain really adds up. Additionally, the rate of obesity in the fire service (34%) is almost identical with the rate of obesity for the American public. This is unacceptable for firefighters.
When more of us take greater ownership of our fitness, we will make a huge impact on these statistics.
4. Longevity
As firefighters, we have heard too many stories and have known too many friends who have worked on the job for decades, only to then die from health-related conditions a few years after retiring.
Let’s make it our goal to not only have long, healthy careers, but also to have long, healthy retirements. Our focus can’t just be to make it to retirement, but to enjoy and get the most out of our retirement.
Longevity means we are focused on keeping our bodies in optimal condition for the duration of our career. This requires consistency and discipline with our physical training, nutrition, sleep and our emotional and mental health.
5. Injury Prevention
Closely related to longevity is injury prevention. It is undeniable that a higher level of physical fitness results in fewer job-related injuries.
We all know the primary areas of injury for firefighters throughout their careers: shoulders, knees, and backs. Proper functional fitness training will provide a greater defense against the risk of these injuries. Proper lifting and body mechanics during training sessions directly transfer to fireground movements to reduce our risk of injury.
However, we must mention that improper, unsafe and even excessive fitness training may actually cause injuries. Such training is counterproductive to firefighter performance and longevity. If you need a guide to the best way to train, check out our book: Firefighter Functional Fitness.
6. Mental and Emotional Well-Being
The human body is designed to be physically active on a daily basis. The sedentary American lifestyle of sitting around all day, being entranced by a cell phone or binge-watching television, is only doing more harm to our emotional and mental well-being. It is no surprise that the amount of time spent on a smartphone directly correlates to levels of anxiety and depression.
It is undeniable that we as humans have a mind, body and soul connection. When one suffers, the others suffer. When one excels, the others benefit. Making our fitness a daily priority produces tangible benefits that we feel in our mind and soul.
Lastly, if we ask most American adults how they are doing emotionally, most would admit that they are too busy, overworked, anxious, and stressed out. Regular physical fitness combats heightened stress levels. Without getting too technical, a good workout produces endorphins or “pain killers” in our body, which cause a feeling of euphoria and accomplishment. Other exercise-related neurotransmitters reduce anxiety and depression, increase the feeling of calmness, and directly combat stress.
7. Improve Sleep Patterns and Quality
Adequate sleep is critical to the human body. Poor sleep causes a whole host of problems: poor mental awareness, hormone imbalance, mood and emotional disorders, weight gain, cardiovascular problems, increased cancer risk, and other health issues. Unfortunately, too many firefighters don’t get enough sleep, and the sleep that we do get is interrupted.
We have good news: regular physical fitness helps improve sleep patterns and sleep quality. As we shared in Raleigh (NC) Battalion Chief Dena Ali’s book, Hope Out of Darkness, exercise directly combats the negative effects of sleep deprivation by regulating dopamine levels. Regular exercise helps us to fall asleep faster and to also have better quality of sleep throughout the night. If we get more sleep, our body’s hormones are at the levels that we want to be at, which keeps our mind and body functioning at optimal levels. When our hormones are balanced, our energy levels and mental alertness increase, as well.
8. Cancer Prevention
Cancer is at epidemic proportions in the fire service. Of course we must follow the basics of firefighter cancer prevention by wearing our personal protective equipment, being “on-air” as much as possible, and post-fire decontamination.
However, too many firefighters overlook the impact of regular physical fitness, proper nutrition, and aggressive hydration on cancer prevention. Most don’t know that obesity and diabetes are risk factors for cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight with daily fitness will directly combat them.
As it pertains to nutrition, eating more whole foods (i.e. antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meats, less sugar) will also go a long way. Lastly, proper hydration makes sure that our bodies’ cells are adequately hydrated, which aids in cellular oxygenation and metabolism. Hydration also boosts our immune system response, which is essential to fighting cancer.
9. Slow the Natural Aging Process
One thing that none of us control is growing older. The old saying “none of us get out alive” may be true, but that should not be a reason to stop taking care of our bodies as we age.
According to the Harvard Medical School, regular exercise has numerous effects that slow the aging process. Here are just a few:
- Decrease heart and blood vessel stiffness
- Decreases blood pressure
- Increases calcium content and bone strength
- Increases muscle mass and strength
- Increases metabolic rate
- Decreases body fat
- Decreases insulin levels
- Decreases risk of depression
- Increases quality of sleep
You’ll notice that all these effects (and more) directly relate to the most common health risk factors all of us face. To see the complete list of benefits, check out the article: “Exercise and aging: Can you walk away from Father Time” from Harvard Health Publishing.
10. Family
We purposely chose to make this the last reason to take your fitness seriously. Almost all of us have a family that we love, care for, and provide for. Our spouses want us to be healthy so that we can have a good (and long) quality of life together. They want us around to help and provide for our families.
Our children want physically fit fathers and mothers who can be active with them. Our older children want parents that will be healthy and vibrant enough to be around and play with their children. We need to take care of ourselves so that we can celebrate all of life’s milestones: accomplishments, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, etc.
We must take care of ourselves so that we can take care of them.
It’s Down to You
When it all comes down to it, you are the only one responsible for your fitness. And it’s only you who can take ownership of your fitness. Only you can decide to make your fitness a priority and put in the work necessary to succeed. It requires consistency, discipline and dedication–and it will all be worth it. Do it for your citizens. Do it for your fellow firefighters. Do it for your family. Do it for yourself.
Jim Moss and Dan Kerrigan are the best-selling authors of Firefighter Functional Fitness: The Essential Guide to Optimal Fireground Performance and Longevity. They share their firefighter wellness message internationally at fire departments and fire conferences. Learn more about their book and workshops at FirefighterFunctionalFitness.com.
