Firefighting has proven to be one of the most dangerous
professions. Over the past one hundred years, more than one hundred firefighters
a year loose their lives in the line of duty (excluding the year 2001 when FDNY
lost 343 members in the Twin Towers attack). In addition, over one hundred
thousand firefighters across the nation suffer injuries in one degree or
another. While technology has provided a much higher level of respiratory and
thermal protection for firefighters, it is still an arduous profession in which
strength, agility, flexibility, and endurance are necessary to perform
firefighting tasks safely and efficiently.
The Orange County Fire
Authority believes that the best way to provide the highest level of service to
the communities it serves is to ensure that the best resources are available to
provide the service. This includes the mechanical and people resources. In
keeping with that philosophy, the OCFA implemented the International Association
of Fire Chiefs' (
IAFC) and the
International Association of Firefighters' (
IAFF)
Joint Labor-Management Wellness and Fitness Initiative (WFI)
in 2003 to protect its firefighters. This comprehensive program incorporates the
five following areas:
- Medical Examinations
- Fitness Evaluations
- Behavioral Health
- Rehabilitation Services
- Data Collection
- Immunization & Disease Screening
OCFA's firefighters are offered these comprehensive medical and
fitness exams annually. The exams are performed in a confidential setting in
which the member has the opportunity to have a consultation with a physician.
The evaluations include a full blood panel assessment, hearing and vision exams,
chest x-rays, and a fitness exam. These types of exams have shown to be very
helpful to the individual and the organization. By detecting potential medical
or physical aliments ahead of time, they increase the quality of life for the
individual and reduce the potential costs associated with firefighter-specific
injuries. In the first two years of implementation of the WFI, the OCFA showed
reduction of over fifty percent in the number of back injuries! That is a
tremendous benefit to the members of the OCFA and the communities they serve. A
healthy and fit firefighter can perform more efficiently and more safely thus
increasing effectiveness and longevity. One does not need to go far to see the
increasing cost of workers compensations claims and the associate detriments to
the organizations. This program proactively addresses many of the concerns for
firefighter safety and community protection.
The OCFA has supported this
program by establishing the following positions for the Wellness & Fitness
(WEFIT) program under the oversight of the OCFA Risk Manager: a Program Manager
and an Exercise Physiologist. The Program Manager is a Fire Captain who is
assigned to this program full time. His or her responsibilities include acting
as the liaison between labor and management, designing and managing the medical
examination for all fire companies, supervising the
Peer Fitness Trainers and the
Exercise Physiologist, coordinating any fitness equipment needs or resources
with the exercise Physiologist, and facilitating outreach programs to the
community.
One of the more noteworthy programs currently operating is the
Fire Fit Kids program. This program, taught to children in school, shows them
that having a physical fitness lifestyle is both fun and beneficial to their
quality of life. Firefighters spend time each week educating children about the
important choices we all make in the areas of diet and activity level. For more
information on Fire Fit Kids, please go to any of the following websites:
For more information on the IAFF/IAFC
Joint Labor Management Wellness and Fitness Initiative, please visit their
website.