Majority Of Fire And Ambulance Recruits Overweight

Since they did not do well on skills, which was related to their weight, a condition of choice, the solution is easy - don't hire them.

"Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), Boston Medical Center, Harvard University and the Cambridge Health Alliance found that more than 75 percent of emergency responder candidates for fire and ambulance services in Massachusetts are either overweight or obese. The findings...have significant consequences for public health and safety.

Emergency responders (firefighters, ambulance personnel and police) are expected to be physically fit to perform strenuous duties without compromising the safety of themselves, colleagues or the community. Traditionally, these professions recruited persons of above- average fitness from a pool of healthy young adults. However, given the current obesity epidemic, the candidate pool is currently drawn from an increasingly heavy American youth.

The researchers showed that excess weight as measured by body mass index (BMI) was associated with higher blood pressures, worse metabolic profiles and lower exercise tolerance on treadmill stress tests...

'These findings are strong evidence against the common misconception in the emergency responder community that many of their members have BMI's in the overweight and obese ranges simply on the basis of increased muscle mass. Even in these young recruits we documented a very strong association between excess BMI and an increased cardiovascular risk profile,'...

'Our findings regarding recruits' excess weight have important implications, especially when superimposed upon expected future effects of aging and career span,' ...'First, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal injury are important causes of morbidity and mortality in emergency responders, and excess body fat is associated with higher risk for both. Second, because of the nature of emergency response work, any health condition suddenly incapacitating an emergency responder also potentially compromises the safety of his or her coworkers and the community,' he added.

'These professionals perform highly psychologically and physically stressful work and are therefore at high risk for cardiovascular events,'...'Sudden incapacitation during duty puts these emergency responders, as well as their colleagues and the public, in danger. In addition to the dangers posed to public safety, these findings have important economic implications, as state and federal legislation exists for the awarding of benefits to emergency responders who die or are disabled by cardiovascular events, malignancies and work-related orthopedic problems; and the risk of all of these are increased by obesity,'"...

The next time you call a first responder, expect that you will have to help him or her, not the other way around.