Welcome to the NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter E-News. The NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program was designed to healp firefighters become more heart-healthy and lower the incidence of heart attack related deaths in the fire service. We hope that you enjoy this newsletter and that it benefits not only you, but others in your fire department, family and community.

1. NFPA Signs on as Sponsor of Heart-Healthy Program
2. Erron Kinney named NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Spokesperson
3. NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program Announces 2006 Initiatives
4. High Blood Cholesterol, What You Need To Know
5. NVFC Heart-Healthy Tip
6. Small Steps

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recently signed on a as a key sponsor of the NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program. The generous contribution from NFPA will be applied to Phase Three of the Program, which aims to decrease firefighter fatalities from heart attacks.

NFPA’s mission is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. NFPA membership totals more than 79,000 individuals from around the world and more than 80 national trade and professional organizations.

Established in 1896, NFPA serves as the world's leading advocate of fire prevention and is an authoritative source on public safety. In fact, NFPA's 300 codes and standards influence every building, process, service, design, and installation in the United States, as well as many of those used in other countries. NFPA's focus on true consensus has helped the association's code-development process earn accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

With this sponsorship, NVFC plans to continue providing free health screenings to firefighters around the country. Additionally, NVFC will offer cooking demonstrations to educate firefighters on how to cook in a “heart-healthy” manner. Other exciting new components of the Program include a firefighter cookbook and workout to assist firefighters with all cornerstones of the Program, health, nutrition and fitness.

“The NVFC has enjoyed working side by side with NFPA for many years now and we are excited to partner with them on this very important initiative,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg, “This donation will go a long way towards saving the lives of many firefighters, something both NFPA and NVFC have worked on for countless years.”

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Washington, D.C.,– The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is pleased to announce that Erron Kinney, a pro-football player for the Tennessee Titans and active volunteer firefighter will be the spokesperson for the NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program. Kinney has played in the tight-end position for the Titans for the last six years after playing college football for Florida.

“Firefighting has been a passion of mine all of my life. I am excited to work with the NVFC this year to help raise awareness to this critical problem facing firefighter’s day in and day out,” said Kinney.

Originally from Ashland, Virginia, Kinney became involved in the fire service at age 13 when he became a junior firefighter. He became certified during his sophomore year at Florida, and during his senior year, he was credited with saving a fellow firefighter’s life during a boat plant fire in Archer, Florida. Erron is currently a member of the Williamson County Rescue Squad, Station 22 in Grassland, Tennessee. Additionally, he serves as deputy chief for the Shady Grove Fire Department in Hickman County, TN. Other accomplishments include being appointed by the governor of Tennessee to sit on the State Fire Commission and being the spokesperson for Fire Safe Tennessee, an initiative to reduce fire deaths.

“The NVFC is proud to partner with someone as distinguished and community oriented as Erron Kinney,” said NVFC Chairman Philip C. Stittleburg. “To give back to your country and community in the way that Erron does should serve as an example to others and we are thrilled to have him assisting us on this great program. With his help, we can continue to spread the word about the Program and start to reverse the trend of firefighter fatalities.”

Erron will assist NVFC by speaking at various fire service related conferences, offering firefighter health and safety tips on the Heart-Healthy website, www.healthy-firefighter.org. Erron also hosts a weekly radio show with another NFL Player which will provide NFL commentary and fire safety and fitness tips. More information about the show will be available on the Heart-Healthy website.

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The NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, now in its third year, educated firefighters and their communities about the risks of heart-attacks and other heart-related dangers inherent to firefighting. As part of this year’s program, NVFC has many exciting initiatives planned. The first of these is the NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Health Fair. NVFC plans to travel around the country to various fire service trade shows and offer a health fair, free of charge, to all firefighters. The Health Fair will consist of free health screenings including cholesterol, glucose screening, and blood pressure screenings.

Additionally, NVFC will provide cooking demonstrations at the trade shows to encourage and teach firefighters about heart-healthy cooking at the firehouse and at home. The cooking demonstrations will feature local chefs from the surrounding areas.

Another aspect of the heath fair is physical fitness. NVFC will offer demonstrations of Quick Fit, a fifteen minute exercise program. Quick Fit packs in aerobic activity, strengthening exercises and stretches. A DVD of Quick Fit will also be available for purchase from the booth.

Some other exciting initiatives for Phase Three Include:

Fired Up For Fitness: The Challenge is currently running again on the Heart-Healthy website, www.healthy-firefighter.org. The Challenge is an interactive program for firefighters to log their daily physical activity. At certain levels participants are rewarded with t-shirts and certificates. Every firefighter that completes the Challenge is entered into the grand prize drawing to be held at Fire Rescue International in Dallas in September.

National Spokesperson: Erron Kinney, a pro-football player for the Tennessee Titans, has signed on as the spokesperson for the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program. Erron is a volunteer Firefighter in two volunteer departments in Tennessee. As part of the program, Erron will travel around the country to trade shows with us, promoting the Program.

Website: NVFC will continually update the website, www.healthy-firefighter.org, to provide firefighters and their communities with the latest life-saving information. The website includes information on nutrition, physical fitness, diabetes, LODD’s, and upcoming events.

E-News: We will continue producing the Heart-Healthy Firefighter E-News. This monthly newsletter updates program participants on current program events, heart-healthy news, and tips for a healthy lifestyle.

NVFC Heart-Healthy Firefighter Phase Three

(Trade Show/Dates/Location)

Ready-Gov Trade Show
April 26-27, 2006
Washington, DC

FDIC
April 27-29, 2006
Indianapolis, IN

Fire Expo
May 19-21, 2006
Harrisburg, PA

Fire Rescue Int’l
September 15-16, 2006
Dallas, TX

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Courtesy of National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Why is Cholesterol Important?

Your blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease. High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. In fact, the higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about half a million people die from heart disease.

How Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?

When there is too much cholesterol (a fat-like substance) in your blood, it builds up in the walls of your arteries. Over time, this buildup causes “hardening of the arteries” so that arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked. The blood carries oxygen to the heart, and if enough blood and oxygen cannot reach your heart, you may suffer chest pain. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by a blockage, the result is a heart attack.

High blood cholesterol itself does not cause symptoms, so many people are unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. It is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease, even if you already have it. Cholesterol lowering is important for everyone, younger, middle-ago, and older adults; women and men; and people with or without heart disease.

What Do Your Cholesterol Numbers Mean?

Everyone age 20 and older should have their cholesterol measured at least once every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a “lipoprotein profile” to find out your cholesterol numbers. This blood test is done after a 9-12 hour fast and gives information about your:

• Total Cholesterol

• LDL (bad) Cholesterol – the main source of cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries.

• HDL (good) Cholesterol – helps keep cholesterol from building up in the arteries.

• Triglycerides – another form of fat in your blood.

If it is not possible to get a lipoprotein profile done, knowing your total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol can give you a general idea about your cholesterol levels. If your total cholesterol is 200 mg/dL or more or if your HDL is less than 40 md/dL, you will need to have a lipoprotein profile done. See how your cholesterol numbers compare to the tables below.

HDL (good) cholesterol protects against heart disease, so for HDL, higher numbers are better. A level less than 40 mg/dL is low and is considered a major risk factor because it increases your risk for developing heart disease. HDL levels of 60 mg/dL or more help to lower your risk for hear disease.

For more information on cholesterol and how to become heart-healthy, visit www.healthy-firefighter.org.

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Apples: A Core Curriculum

An apple a day keeps the doctor away -- too bad Americans only eat about one per week. Apples are packed with fiber: One medium apple (including skin) provides one-fifth (5g) of the average daily needs. Most of an apple's dietary fiber is pectin, a soluble fiber that helps reduce cholesterol. Apples also promote a healthy heart. Apple skin is rich in antioxidant phytochemicals called flavonoids, which may slice the risk of coronary disease.

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Courtesy of www.SmallStep.gov

1. Eat off smaller plates.
2. Get off a stop early & walk.
3. Don't eat late at night.
4. Skip seconds.
5. Work around the house.
6. Skip buffets.
7. Grill, steam or bake instead of frying.
8. Bicycle to the store instead of driving.
9. Take dog to the park.
10. Ask your doctor about taking a multi-vitamin.

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