Health and Fitness Information Documents and Handouts...........

The handouts available below cover the fundemental health and fitness issues, they are freely available to download and the selection available will eventually comprise a substantial libary of key healthy lifestyle issues.

If you currently use a health and fitness handout that does not appear on this page then please Click here to send it in, if we feel it is appropriate then it will appear below.

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 Fitness Guidance booklet.

General advice on health & fitness and how to prepare for the NFST;
Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service.

"General advice on health and fitness and how to prepare for the National Fire Fighters Selection Tests. Produced by Durham & Darlington FRS with assistance from the FireFit Steering Group and images from Leicestershire FRS."

Caution large document 9mb.If printed the pages will need to be folded like a booklet.



 
 Firefighter Fitness Programme.

Guidance on physical training for Firefighters; FireFit Steering Group.

"It is important to realise that the role of a firefighter can be physically demanding, and consequently firefighters are required to maintain good general levels of physical fitness throughout their careers. As such physical training is an important part of a firefighters ongoing development."






 
 Preparatory Fitness Programme.

 Guidance on Physical Training Preparation for the National Firefighter Selection Tests; FireFit Steering Group.

"The following information is designed to provide GENERAL GUIDELINES on physical preparation for applicants intending to undertake the National Firefighter Selection Tests (NFSTs). It is important to note that good exercise training advice should be highly specific to you as an individual, and will depend upon your general health, age, current fitness level, previous training history, lifestyle and ultimate fitness goals."


 Rhaglen Ffitrwydd Baratoadol

Arweiniad ar Baratoadau Hyfforddiant Corfforol ar gyfer y Profion Cenedlaethol i Ddewis Ymladdwyr Tân



 
 General Fitness Programme.

Guidance on physical training for Control and Support Staff;
FireFit Steering Group.

"The following information is designed to provide guidelines on how to maintain cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness and flexibility for control and support staff. It is widely accepted that individuals can substantially improve their health and quality of life by including moderate amounts of physical activity in their daily lives."




 
 Recruit Hearing Procedure.

Article on hearing courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Any auditory standard must be developed on a capability basis. Those involved in activities in which environmental safety may change at a moments notice will require good standards of vision, hearing, speech and mobility. The ability to perceive risk and communicate that to others is of paramount importance."




 
 Back Care Management Programme.

Article on Back Care courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Back pain remains a significant and costly problem. A Government survey published in 2000 showed 40% of adults suffered low back pain lasting more than one day in the previous 12 months, and 15% of back pain sufferers were in pain throughout the year. Estimated healthcare costs were £1.63 billion."




 
 Night Workers Health Questionnaire.

Questionnaire courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"This form is designed to help assess if you have any health condition, which could affect your ability to perform night work. The opportunity for an assessment is required by the Working Time Regulations 1998. This form asks specific questions about your health."




 
 Stress.

Article on Stress courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Stress is pressure and therefore a natural part of life. It is not a medical condition and should not be treated as such. It only becomes a medical issue when the pressure is sustained and not addressed then it can affect the mind and body."




 
 Risk Assessment of Stress at Work.

Stress Risk Assessment courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"This guidance note provides advice on how to conduct a risk assessment of stress at work in 5 clear stages using the risk assessment form at the end of this section.

The 5 steps to any risk assessment are:

• Identify the hazards
• Decide who might be harmed and how
• Assess the risk and decide if it is currently causing stress
• Record the findings and decide on any action required to eliminate or reduce stress
• Review the assessment over time."




 
 Poor Posture.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Humans have some primitive response strategies that are still active in this day and age. Defence posture and stress physiology were originally meant to assist us in escaping danger. Activated by stress, these strategies alter our physiology and create defensive postures in our bodies."




 
 Health effects of Heat Exhaustion, Heatstroke and working in Heat.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, occur when the body can't keep itself cool. As the air temperature rises, the body stays cool sweat evaporates. On hot, humid days, the evaporation of sweat is slowed by the increased moisture in the air. When sweating isn't enough to cool the body, the body temperature rises."




 
 Dyslexia.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Dyslexia is best described as a weakness of processing information; it is a combination of abilities and difficulties that may affect learning, literacy and numeracy. It may also relate to difficulties with organisation, sequencing and memory."




 
 Disability Discrimination Act.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"A ‘disabled person’ is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act as someone with ‘a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities’. Whether or not the act applies is decided by an Employment Appeal Tribunal & not by individuals, medical or nursing advisers."




 
 Cholesterol.

FireFit Information sheet.

"The amount of cholesterol present in the blood can range from 3.6 to 7.8 mmol/litre. A level above 6 mmol/litre is regarded as high, and is a risk factor for arterial disease. Government advice recommends a target cholesterol level of under 5, but on average men in England have a level of 5.5, and women a level of 5.6."




 
 Abestos Exposure.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Where such exposures are identified the Safety Team or Occupational Health may be able to offer advice on the relative risks dependant upon knowledge of the process, material disturbed, fibre type and airborne fibre levels."




 
 DSE Self Assessment.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Section 1 Contains information to help you to look after yourself while you are working with your computer. Please keep this for your own reference.

Section 2 Contains a questionnaire that you can use if you work with a computer on a regular basis. Use the questionnaire to assess your own workstation then forward it to your departmental Line Manager."




 
 Healthy working with computers.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Eye-Sight Testing;
1. Free testing is available to any DSE user that requests it
2. Contact OH for a form prior to visiting an optician
3. Partial funding is available if corrective lenses are required for DSE work"




 
 How to recognise & avoid heat related illness.

Information sheet, original source; South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

"As a firefighter you will regularly work in conditions of extreme heat that, if prolonged, can bring about heat illness. The effect of heat illness can be very severe and includes physical and psychological symptoms: avoid heat related illness."




 
 Manager’s Guidelines for New and Expectant Mothers.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"These guidelines will be used once the employee has advised the employer that they are pregnant or are breast-feeding. Employees must be made aware of the importance of informing their manager as soon as possible so that the risk assessment can be carried out."




 
 Hepatitis B, Information and Advice.

Information sheet courtesy of Amanda Savage, Senior Occupational Health Adviser West Midlands Fire Service.

"Hepatitis B is a virus that attacks the liver. At the minimum it may cause an unpleasant illness, at the worst it will kill! Unfortunately there is no active treatment so prevention is essential. The virus is transmitted from one person to another in blood, therefore either intimate contact or some form of inoculation or transfusion of blood must occur."




 
 You can put a PRICE on healing.

Information sheet courtesy of Davey Veitch, Advanced and Remedial Sports Therapist, Cleveland Fire Brigade.

"Every once and a while we all sustain an injury to ourselves that results in pain and swelling! Whether it is an ankle, knee or some other part of the body, it would be great to know what to do immediately that will save you time, effort and grief in the future."




 
 Heart rate training zone chart.

 Information chart/poster; original source; Durham & Darlington Fire & Rescue Service.
"A common and well known method for identifying what the maximum theoretical heart rate an individual could achieve during exercise is simply;

HR max = 220 – your age

Maximum Heart rate (HR max) is the maximum number of times in one minute, that the heart can contract when exercising. The maximum heart rate achievable is variable it can be approximately 10 to 20 bpm higher or lower than predicted. For example, a 40 year old could achieve a theoretical heart rate of 180 bpm;

i.e. 220 – 40 = 180 bpm".