Importance of Health and Wellness for Firefighters In New York

 

Firefighters belong to one of the few categories of unsung heroes that put their lives at risk to keep the rest of the country safe! They voluntarily step into one of the most demanding jobs and play their part in saving lives.



In this post, we’ll discuss the need for a firefighter wellness program and the government’s efforts in this regard:

Why is there a need for a wellness program?

According to research by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, as many as 30,000 firefighters have been exposed to the surrogate metric in the past. This metric is an indirect indicator of cancer risk. Firefighters are exposed to fire contaminants and combustion by-products such as benzene and formaldehyde, which can potentially cause cancer. Researchers also found out that there was some risk of leukemia mortality associated with firefighter exposure.

Firefighters are emergency responders. This means they could be required to be on duty and attend calls even in the middle of the night. This often results in sleep deprivation and all other health issues that may stem from it. Other than that, sleep deprivation may also result in reduced job performance the next day. 

 

But don’t let this keep you from pursuing a career as a firefighter in New York because there are a lot more benefits to it.

Here’s what the New York government is doing to keep firefighters safe and healthy:

National Volunteer Fire Council

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) have collaborated to discover such concerns and provide the right resources to overcome them. The USFA has been particularly active to spread awareness in the following departments:

a. Improving the fire service for women.

b. Giving recommendations to assist the field managers in their efforts to design safe and functional fire stations.

c. Recommending the right approaches to mitigate community risk.

d. Recommending practices to mitigate any sort of violence against EMS responders and firefighters.

e. Providing better voice radio communication gadgets and help the firefighters understand the technology.

f. Changing the safety culture in a way that reduces occupational injuries and fatalities.

g. Creating proper emergency incident rehabilitation programs that include distribution of protective clothing.

 

Protective clothing

The USFA has also carried out extensive work to improve the quality of protective clothing. The newer pieces have an improved sense of hazardous thermal exposures and improved accuracy. They’re also less prone to false activation. The USFA has collaborated with technologies such as the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to provide stress monitors, gas analyzers, accurate firefighter locations, and better fireground accountability. All the tools and equipment conform to the standard testing protocols devised by the National Fire Protection Association.



Do you want to step forward for the greater good and keep your countrymen safe from fire incidents? Civil Service Success helps prepare candidates for the NYC firefighter exam, civil service exams in New York, including Suffolk County Police, and NYS court officer. 

 

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