Hot topics.......


Latest news on Health and fitness issues impacting on the British Fire Service.

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.

Peak Performance - VO2max predicts performance!

Peak Performance have released an article that asks if V02max can predict your future health, or, more specifically, your risk of having a heart attack! The informative article is available to view by clicking here or to read many other interesting health and fitness related artcles why not visit www.pponline.co.uk


Wellbeing at work study with Nottingham Trent University - An opportunity to get involved.

Nottingham Trent University are running a scientific study into how work impacts on health and well-being. They would like Fire & Rescue Services to be involved. The data will be collected using an on-line questionnaire which will have very little resource implications to you organisation. The benefits however may well be substantial. For more information, please click here to download the document.

Five-a-day has little impact on cancer, study finds.

Eating more fruit and vegetables has only a modest effect on protecting against cancer, a study in to the link between diet and disease has found. The full BBC News article can be read by clicking here.

Source: www.news.bbc.co.uk

FireFit Annual Conference 2010. Hertfordshire FRS, de Havilland Conference Centre in Hatfield, Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th September 2010. Click on the image on the left to download the Conference flyer.

Heat stress conference in Merseyside

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is organising a one-day conference on the effects of heat stress on firefighters on the 9th February 2010. click here to visit the Merseyside FRS website for more info...


Date confirmed for 2010 Annual FireFit Conference

Hosted by Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service
Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th September 2010

The venue will be the de Havilland Conference Centre in Hatfield, click here for a sneek preview of the stunning venue. Full details will follow but don't forget to post comments on the forum page - you could influence the programme!


Canadian research backs up FireFit's stance!

Cardiorespiratory fitness and the metabolic syndrome in firefighters

An abstract of the article appears on the Oxford Journals website; click here to read the article.

Fitness for Fire and Rescue. Standards, Protocols and Policy The purpose of this document is to outline safe, accurate, reliable and cost effective methods of assessing Firefighter fitness levels and to identify the most suitable tests to use. It is recognised that there is a wide range of knowledge and skills within each Fire & Rescue Service, which will influence the type of assessment method employed. This document provides a toolkit of tests with supporting documentation, which will offer solutions for all Fitness Advisers, Occupational Health Advisers and Human Resource Managers within Fire and Rescue Services. Furthermore, based on the currently available scientific research, recommendations are presented for a national standard for aerobic fitness for safe, effective firefighting..

FireFit Steering Group Questionnaire to the UK FRS The FireFit Steering Group have been attempting to assess the provision of fitness testing/provision of fitness related advice to the Uk Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) personnel throughout the UK. It is intended that the information will assist us in designing fitness training courses tailored for FRSs and assist with future policy issues relating to Fire Fighter fitness. Click on the image to down load a copy of the questionnaire that has been circulated to all the UK FRSs. The results of the questionnaire will be discussed at the Conference in Durham. To download the full results of the questionnaire click here.

FireFit Steering Group - positions available.

The group currently have a number of vacancies that it wishes to fill with suitably qualified individuals


To download full details and how to apply click here. All applications must be received by 31st May 2010 to be considered.

New Research document available....

Comprehensive warm-up programme to prevent injuries in young female footballers: cluster randomised controlled trial

Objective - "To examine the effect of a comprehensive warm-up programme designed to reduce the risk of injuries in female youth football."

The abstract document is available to download on the Reports page.

Blood Pressure in Firefighters, Police Officers, and Other Emergency Responders. This is a research article from the American Journal of Hypertension. It discusses elevated risk of cardiovascular events on the fireground (and in other emergency services workers) and that the majority of events occur in people who are mildly hypertensive or pre-hypertensive. It suggests aggressive monitoring of blood pressure is necessary in these populations.

Occupational Health Conference 26th March 2009 'Sharing good practice again' Holywell Park Conference Centre, Burleigh Court, Loughborough. To download the booking form click here.

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service launch their new Fitness Policy incorporating several key FireFit recommendations....


Bedfordshire and Luton fire and Rescue Service have just launched their brand new Fitness Policy. The Authority seeks to follow the standards set by the guidance of the ‘Fitness for Fire and Rescue Standards, Protocols and Policy’ document created by the FireFit Steering Group (July 2007).

While acknowledging that an optimum level of physical fitness can play an important role in reducing ill health, injuries and accidents, the Authority are stating that the standard of fitness recommended in their policy is the minimum to assure the safety of Firefighters.

To view the new Fitness Policy click on the word logo;



Cumbria FRS - Physical Training Advisors Conference June 2008.


Cumbria FRS have held their third Physical Training Advisors Conference at Service HQ in Cockermouth. The event had an interesting and diverse programme of speakers (including FireFit Steering Group members) addressing the issues in todays fire service regarding operational fitness. Chief Fire Officer Dominic Harrison indicated that Cumbria FRS have worked hard over the past few years to raise the level of fitness and this in part was due to to the introduction of trained Physical Training Advisors into the Service.

The main Conference themes centred around the National Firefighter Selection tests and the 12 recommendations set by the FireFit Steering Group.


Our Fire and Rescue Service Practitioners' Forum - news....

Meeting papers (Item No 07/23 National Standards for Firefighter Fitness);
18th April, 2007.

'The work to devise the new National Fire Fighter Selection Tests was the first detailed research undertaken into the fitness requirements of the role of a Fire Fighter. The new tests have been devised to meet the occupational requirements of the role and to identify those with the potential to be developed into Fire Fighters. This work highlighted the fact that there are no agreed standards of fitness for serving Fire Fighters. A Task and Finish Group has been set up by CFOA under the HR Director to extend the work undertaken in the course of development of the NFS and to make recommendations on the standards of fitness required for serving staff.' To view the meeting papers click on the PDF logo;



Chief Fire Officers Association - News....

HR Strategic Update Report by: Des Prichard CFO & CE

National Firefighter Selection Tests (NFSTs);

Discussions have been had with Gill McManus who led the implementation of NFSTs on behalf of the CLG with a review planned for early 2007. A key issue to consider is fitness standards both at point of entry and on going which were not included in the initial NFSTs. CFOA will be looking to work with CLG to consider appropriate fitness standards for operational personnel and to consider how fitness standards can be assessed, monitored and measured. Members of Firefit are working within the CFOA HR Working Groups to provide professional knowledge and expertise on fitness and fitness standards and how this could be appropriately applied to firefighters. In addition, the review will look at all aspects of NFSTs to ensure that they deliver desired outcomes and support for progress of equality and diversity within the Service.




Comunities and Local Government (CLG) - News....

The FireFit Steering Group have been working closely with the CLG to provide a new exercise programme suitable for individual wishing to improve their fitness levels prior to participation in the new NFST. The finalised document which appears on the new Recruitment and Selection DVD is available to download here

General Exercise Guidance document Suggested exercise programme "Good exercise training advice is highly specific to the individual. It should be understood, therefore, that the advice provided here can only be general. The role of a firefighter can be physically demanding. Firefighters are required to be aerobically fit, have good all-round body strength and stamina. As a result, the entry selection tests are designed to reflect the actual physical tasks that firefighters are required to perform.".

New Fire Minister Angela Smith (CLG) launches campaign to encourage more women to work as firefighters (May 2006); read her comments on the Positive Action Page.



Occupational Health - News....


Sharing Good Practice in Occupational Health 2007

Gail Cotton - Head of Occupational Health and Safety for Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service and FireFit Steering Group member has succesfully organised the 'A Stressful Day' conference at Holywell Park, Burleigh Court International Confrence Centre:

Presentations delivered at the Conference included amongst others; 'A stressful day' (Laura Lawrence, Welfare Officer, T&WFRS), 'Exercise and coping with Stress' (Anthony Papathomas - Loughborough University) and 'Implementing HSE’s Management Standards on Work Related Stress' (Chris Rowe, Programme Manager, Work related stress Policy Unit, HSE).

All of the Conference presentations are freely available to download from the leicestershire Fire and Rescue Website.





Optimal Performance - News....


Optimal Performance Limited on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have produced the Fire Research Technical Report 1/2005: The top priority of the report has been defined as the need to ‘Quantify the Physiological Requirements of Firefighter Key Tasks and Identify the Limiting Factors to Performance’. including the identification and quantification of key firefighter tasks, improvements to the knowledge base about firefighter fitness and work performance capability, and the identification and modulation of factors that limit performance.

In general terms, it is clear that for operational firefighting ‘more fitness is better’, i.e. the fitter and healthier the workforce, the harder and quicker they will be able to work, the more efficient they will be, and the quicker they will recover. This is particularly true when working in demanding thermal environments, especially when wearing PPE including SCBA. The national fitness profile of the current UK firefighting population is currently unknown and it is not possible to confirm that the UK firefighter health and fitness profile meets the requirements of the normal or occasionally more extreme demands of firefighting.

To view the full report click on the PDF logo;





Firebuy - News....

As part of the National Procurement Strategy for the FRS, Firebuy (www.firebuy.org.uk) has been working closely with the Firefit Steering Group to identify the best route to market for fitness equipment for all Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRA’s).

The FireFit Steering Group has now completed a master list of recommended cardiovascular and resistance training equipment for all Fire Service personnel. The recommended list of equipment (please see the list on the FiReBuy Page) weighted from essential to nice to have is designed to allow between 1 and 10 individuals to be able to train at the same time indoors, safely and effectively as long as space is adequate for the purpose.

The list ultimately contains equipment that each fitness team feels is appropriate for their own use and in many ways will be decided by the accommodation size and budget, however, in view of the expertise offered by the steering group working closely with Jubilee House Therapy Centre, a specifically recommended list of items has been prepared.





A.L.A.M.A. - News....

The FireFit Steering Group are pleased to anounce their newest member; Dr Ian Griffiths, Ian is a Consultant Occupational Physician working with Nottingham Occupational Health and takes his place on the Group representing The Association of Local Authority Medical Advisers (A.L.A.M.A) (www.alama.org.uk). ALAMA's main role is to improve the communication, education, consistency and quality of clinical practice for doctors providing Occupational Health Services for the benefit of Local Authority Employees. ALAMA also has a lot to offer doctors who practice occupational health in the Civil Service, Central Government and further education establishments.

Membership includes access to the "members only" part of their website where an extensive discussion database and library are available "on-line" covering topics of immediate interest to all OH doctors in these sectors. The discussions are a regular, daily feature of the site and cover all aspects of public sector practice. Topics include fitness issues, sickness absence management, pension and ill-health retirement issues, disability problems, medical standards and confidentiality issues between doctors, managers and HR colleagues. The archives hold the accumulated wisdom years of years peer group discussions on a wide range of relevant day-to-day actual clinical problems and topics. Membership is restricted to registered medical practitioners, practising in the UK and Eire.

FireFit look forward to working closely with Ian and hopefully he can provide future updates/information relating to the work of ALAMA which will appear on this page. Ian's profile is available to view on the 'Steering Group Members' page.