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Hot topics......
Latest news on Health and fitness issues impacting on the British Fire Service.
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Fitness Standards Research
In April 2012, the University of Bath started a 2 year research project investigating risk factors associated with firefighting and the physical demands of firefighting.
This research is in response to recent international evidence that suggests firefighters are at an increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease when performing
firefighting duties.
Research from the United States firefighting population has identified that 45% of all on duty firefighter deaths are attributed to coronary heart disease and that
the risk of fatal cardiac events during fire suppression activities are up to 100 times greater than for non-emergency duties. There are concerns that this may also be a significant
issue amongst UK firefighters, but currently this has not been examined. The aims of the project are to conduct a national health & lifestyle survey to gain a greater understanding of
firefighters lifestyles and cardiovascular risk and to establish the minimum physical fitness requirements to ensure firefighter safety and well-being.
The research project team at the university have developed a number of simulations of key firefighting tasks in order to determine the physical demands of firefighting.
This is with the aim that a varied group of firefighters, representative of the UK firefighter population, complete these tasks at a minimum acceptable pace.
Services from around the UK are currently providing volunteers for the project.
Full details of the Physical Demands Project can be found at: http://wiki.bath.ac.uk/FireFit
While additional images of the ongoing testing can be found on our Gallery webpage.
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UK FRS Health and Lifestyle Survey
The aim of this survey is to gather information on the health and lifestyle choices made by the employees of the UK Fire and Rescue Services. The information will enable further
understanding of the effects that lifestyle choices have on the health and wellbeing of Fire and Rescue personnel and will be used to improve health and wellbeing services.
All information gathered is completely anonymous and you will not be expected to share any personal information that will identify you. Your employing Fire and Rescue Service
will not be able to identify you from any data you provide.
Full details of the survey can be found on our www.firefitsteeringgroup.co.uk/survey webpage.
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Normal Pension Age for Firefighters
A review for the Firefighter’s Pensions Committee
Fire Service NPA Review 2012
This paper reviews and analyses the evidence for changes in fitness with age, and for changes in prevalence of chronic disease with age. It quantifies these changes in order to
produce a model that gives estimates for numbers likely to be aerobically fit at an NPA, both for firefighters who do not maintain physical fitness and body mass index as they age
and for firefighters who do.
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Questions over statin prescribing
Healthy people may derive no benefit from taking cholesterol-lowering statins
Healthy people may derive no benefit from taking cholesterol-lowering statins, according to a review of previous studies.
The report, published in The Cochrane Library, concluded that statins reduced death rates.
But it said there was no evidence to justify their use in people at low risk of developing heart disease.
The British Heart Foundation said the benefits of prescribing statins for those people was unclear.
Millions of people in the UK take statins, which reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol in the blood.
They are available both on prescription and in low doses over the counter in pharmacies.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health
Exercise 'can prevent a cold', a study shows!
People who exercise regularly are less likely to get a cold, researchers say.
A study of 1,000 people found that staying active nearly halved the odds of catching cold viruses and, failing that, made the infection less severe.
Experts told the British Journal of Sports Medicine that this could be because exercise helps bolster the immune system to fight off bugs.
To read the full BBC News report click here
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Gail Cotton retires!
Gail Cotton, Head of Occupational Health, Fitness and Safety for Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service and just as important FireFit Steering Group member for the last six years has anounced that she is to retire in July 2010.
Gail will be missed by all who worked with her particularily here at FireFit as her enthusiasm, energy, professionalism and friendship adhered her to us all. Gail is pictured with Paul Hancock FireFit Chair recieving a gift from the group. We all wish Gail and her husband a full and happy retirement in their new home in Hampshire.
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Peak Performance - VO2max predicts performance!
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