Firefighter Fitness

Staying fit is an important consideration for firefighters, but it isn't necessarily a priority for some firefighters. Others may want to stay fit or get in shape but don't know where to start. Just getting started at all can be a challenge, but sometimes you don't want to overhaul your life all at once for fitness. Implementing fitness into your life can be a small change, just start off going for walks throughout the week.

How many line of duty deaths are caused by heart attacks? How many of those heart attacks could have been prevented by living a healthier lifestyle? The introduction of exercise will help make you a safer firefighter and contribute to the safety of others.

Firefighting is a high intensity, high demanding job. Cardiovascular endurance is key to physically performing the job. What many do not necessarily consider is that exercise can impact the mind is well. As I said, firefighter is a high demanding job. That goes for the mental side too. A lot of people find working out beneficial to their mental state.

What type of exercises should firefighters do? I think it is important to not give a cookie cutter answer. I’m not going to say that every firefighter should do CrossFit or yoga. I think every firefighter should consider their needs and their bodies. As well, for exercise to remain effective, you have to continue to challenge yourself and stay motivated. Staying motivated means you need to stay interested.

With that being said, consider the demands of the job. You are working with heavy equipment, carrying people, and wearing pounds of gear. What does that do to your body? What do you need to perform those jobs? Building up endurance is a key element to this. But that doesn’t necessarily mean simply running miles every day. Adding repetitions or adding weights can build up endurance too.

Here are a couple articles that get more in depth on certain types of exercises-http://firefightertoolbox.com/yoga-firefighters/  http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2010/03/fire-cardio-training.html

Remember to keep yourself motivated too. Exercising will be much easier if you want it. Consider your health, your safety, and the safety of your crew. Maybe you won’t necessarily see results physically at first, but you might just notice the difference on the fire ground. And that’s what is important. Everyone goes home. Stay safe.