The fire service has undergone a tremendous: change in the past 20 to 30 years. We have become more aware of the hazards of our profession and are making great strides in improving our skills to be successful and safe. The number of regional courses, conferences, and state training classes offered could keep you busy every weekend of the year. Along with the hands-on instruction and the monthly literature available, at times the training opportunities can be overwhelming.
In all the classes I have attended and the trade journals I try to review monthly, I notice a common outcry: how physically demanding our profession is. This observation is backed by the most sophisticated research available. I am one of the greatest proponents of the need for fitness and conditioning training in the fire service and believe it is an area of our profession that has been traditionally neglected.
When we look at the overall fitness of the fire service, we have to look back over the past several decades to get the true assessment. During the past 20 to 30 years, our culture in the fire service has undergone a tremendous change. We have become a more academic profession, with college courses, state academies, and national programs. An average firefighter today has some type of degree, be it in fire science, business administration, or countless other topics. We think nothing of traveling across the country in pursuit of that special topic, but when it comes to spending one hour a week-just 20 minutes a day three times a week-getting our body in shape, we just don’t seem to find the time.
Along with the lack of enthusiasm for exercising, our day-to-day lifestyle has undergone a radical change. Our bodies are not subject to the same physical demands of 30 years ago. After a long stressful day at work, people would come home and mow their lawns. Today, in many cases, the landscaper takes care of this weekly chore. At one time people would travel to the local grocery store and shop for their weekly needs; now a few taps on the keypad, and your bags are waiting outside your front door. I can even remember the days when people had to walk up stairs; elevators and escalators were almost nonexistent in buildings with fewer than six floors.
Take a look around your own neighborhood and see the changes. When I think back on my childhood, I can remember being punished because I failed to change into my play clothes when I got off the school bus because it took time away from playing ball or bicycle riding. Today, a good number of our youth are in the house and on the computer by the time the school bus reaches the corner.
This is what the next generation of firefighters’ lifestyle has become. These individuals are the future of the fire service. We cannot blame them entirely because this is society today and the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed.
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I would like to ask one question: How does that 21⁄2-inch hose get to the top-floor of a three-story building or that 35-foot ladder get raised to the side of a building? Yes, the same way it was done 30, 50, and even 100 years ago. Unfortunately, there is one difference: Today’s firefighters are completing today’s task with only two or three members, compared with past years when four, five, and even six firefighters were available to get the job done. The senior members of the fire service have the responsibility to educate and physically prepare the next generation for the challenges ahead.
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I often hear fitness experts compare firefighters to athletes, and I am in total agreement. If we are going to compare the physical demands of firefighting to those of professional sports, then I believe that we should be taking a step back and asking ourselves a couple of key questions. First, how many hours does an athlete spend per week doing conditioning training for competition? Second, how many of these athletes are competing in their 40s and 50s? What about our firefighters?
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On a positive note, the fire service is taking a serious look at the physical condition of its members. The International Association of Fire Fighters/International Association of Fire Chiefs Wellness/ Fitness Initiative is the first thing that comes to mind. Thirty years ago, the topic of wellness would never have been addressed, never mind acted on. Topics on staying in shape are addressed in articles in virtually all of the trade journals. This is a real proactive approach to keeping our members healthy.
With the fire service taking such an aggressive role in the health of its firefighters, when it comes to conditioning firefighters, we have to seriously consider taking it up a notch. When articles are written in the trade journals, they are often accompanied by some type of action photo. As an example, the article may be on cardio and endurance training discussing the aerobic and anaerobic factors taking place. Along with this article will be action pictures of firefighters climbing stairs answering an alarm. As we read through the article, there are exercise routines that demonstrate the most efficient workout routine for achieving a health goal. Photos often accompanying these exercises feature individuals in health club attire using the most sophisticated equipment available. I feel that we are missing something when comparing the picture of a firefighter ascending a set of stairs and the health club image. The equipment in the health club is a great tool for a maintenance program, but I believe it fails to duplicate the proper conditioning required for job performance.
If we are going to accept the fitness industry’s evaluation of comparing the physical demands made on a firefighter with those made on professional athletes, then let’s do a total comparison. Do athletes perform drills with their full equipment on during their weekly training? A football player will don pads and helmet; a hockey player will suit up for practice to be prepared for that week’s competition. Should we look at our turnout clothing any differently?
MAKE EXERCISE JOB-SPECIFIC
At the Massachusetts Fire Academy (MFA), my fellow instructors and I felt that it was time to address this problem and hopefully make a positive change. The MFA fitness instructors and I believe the reason physical fitness training in the fire service has difficulty being accepted is because it has not been job-specific. When was the last time any firefighter had to run a mile at a fire scene? But one thing that all firefighters can relate to is walking flights of stairs in full turnouts, carrying 40 pounds of equipment. They are able to identify with the physical demands of stretching a 21⁄2-inch hose or opening the roof.
The MFA fitness instructors believe that if we were able to design a fitness program that was job-specific, firefighters would be able to relate to why exercise is important for job function. What we did was break down every job task done on the fireground. From this list, we analyzed every major muscle group and joint used to accomplish these tasks. We then designed a training program that uses our suppression equipment and includes wearing some of our turnout clothing.
We believe that firefighters should periodically train with the tools of our trade. This accomplishes two things: Firefighters will realize that there are no limitations in wearing our equipment, and the confidence level in their equipment increases. Just as professional athletes train with their uniforms, firefighters should do the same.
When we started to design the fitness program at the academy, we had to take a number of things into consideration. The physical condition of today’s population was our first priority; then we focused on creating exercise routines that would be job-specific.
We begin our fitness program with a basic conditioning exercise format, just as you see in most of the trade journals. As the firefighters increase their endurance and strength, we bring in the firefighter-specific training. We will periodically put on our turnout pants and sneakers, don our SCBA unit, and try to climb our six story-training tower 10 times on air. This training gives the firefighters a good opportunity to evaluate their cardio and endurance capacity, and it is something that they can relate to in their career. The look of pride on their faces when they are able to complete this drill and still have air remaining in their cylinder is something to behold.
We also don our SCBAs to do push-ups, which is the same position you may be in when you are conducting search and rescue operations. Occasionally, we will bring the SCBA into service when we do pull-ups. If you ever fell through a floor and had to pull yourself out, would you be in shorts and a T-shirt?
We have designed a number of exercise routines incorporating hose, SCBA cylinders, and even ground ladders. Along with our suppression equipment, we have the firefighters wear their turnout gloves. It has been reported that we lose almost 40 percent of our hand strength when these gloves are on, so we have to get used to overcoming that loss of strength.
If the fire service keeps heading in the direction of comparing our profession with that of an athlete, future firefighters will be better prepared for the demands of the career. And along the way, hopefully, we will be able to reduce the line-of-duty deaths and injuries that plague our profession. ■
