Heart attacks are the number one cause of death for firefighters on duty.

Facts

Fire fighters die from cardiac problems at the rate of three times greater than the general population, in addition to suffering twice as many on the job injuries

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that every year approximately 50% of fire fighters that die in the line of duty die from a stress related heart attacks at the average age of 42

Studies found that there was a direct correlation between strength and endurance in accomplishing the physical tasks of a fire fighters’ occupation and found that physically fit fire fighters were twice as efficient in completing a series of fire ground tasks as their less fit coworkers

The physical effects of fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus and protective clothing are one-third greater than that of an individual wearing gym clothes

The New England Journal of Medicine reveals that 30% of fire fighter cardiac deaths occur during fire fighting activities, which increases a fire fighter’s chance of dying while fighting a fire 100 times more than doing every day activities

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC ), 70% of heart disease fatalities are preventable through lifestyle changes

According to the American Heart Association (AHA) fitness programs reduce employer health costs from 20-55%

Reducing a person’s health risk increases a person’s productivity by 2-52% and reduces absenteeism by 6-32%

For every $1 spent on worksite wellness programs, the net benefit to the employer is between $3.40–$7.88

FEMA reports that will proactive wellness programs, fire departments can reduce on the job injuries by as much as 60%

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) , the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) , the National Fire Fighters Professional Agency (NFPA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) all recommend a mandatory wellness program to protect fire fighters.