Saturday, December 3, 2011

Protecting first responders from a quiet killer

From Homeland Security News Wire:

2 December 2011

Emergency responders in Flagstaff, Gilbert, and Chandler, Arizona recently underwent a battery of medical tests to help minimize the risk of having a stroke or heart attack while in the line of duty; 44 percent of all firefighter deaths were the result of heart attacks, which is the leading killer of firefighters.

Firefighters are monitored while performing tasks "under load" // Source: firefightingincanada.com


As part of a pilot program, nearly twenty firefighters and police officers took a series of exams including CT scans, blood tests, carotid artery ultrasounds, and glucose tests.

The goal of the Heart Fit For Duty pilot program is to provide additional health checks for firefighters and police officers to detect heart conditions that may not appear in annual physical exams.

The program is critical for saving lives as heart attacks are the leading cause of death for firefighters. In a decade long study, the U.S. Fire Administration found that 44 percent of all firefighter deaths were the result of heart attacks or strokes. In contrast internal and head injuries resulted in 27 percent of deaths and suffocation and burns 20 percent...


Go - now - and read this here.

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