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. Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program to Offer Free Screenings, Demonstrations at FDIC.
2. Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program Promoted at CFSI Workshop
3. NFL Player Erron Kinney Addresses NVFC Board
4. Heart-Healthy Firefighter Tip
5. Small Steps

The National Volunteer Fire Council’s Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program will have an interactive exhibit at Booth #3913 at the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) April 27-29 in Indianapolis, IN. At the show, NVFC will launch many exciting new components to the Program.

Chef Kevin Harris of Food For Love, Inc. will perform cooking demonstrations to encourage firefighters to cook heart-healthy at home as well as at the fire department. The schedule for the cooking demonstrations is as follows:

Thursday, April 27 – 2:30pm, 4:00pm, and 5:30pm
Friday, April 28 – 10:30am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm
Saturday, April 29 – 9:30am, 11:00am, 1:00pm

Another new component we will introduce at FDIC is fitness demonstrations. The NVFC has contracted with Quick Fit Products, LLC for these demonstrations. Quick Fit Products is a partnership between Richard Bradley, the creator of the Quick Fit program and author of Quick Fit:, The Complete 15-Minute, No-Sweat Workout, and L&T Health and Fitness, an award-winning fitness management and health promotion company.

Additionally, the NVFC will once again offer free health screenings for firefighters. This year we will be providing cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure screenings. The screenings, provided by L&T Health and Fitness, take about seven minutes to complete, and the results are available immediately. A counselor will be on hand to discuss your results with you.

The NVFC’s Heart-Healthy Firefighter spokesperson Erron Kinney will also attend FDIC. Kinney, a tight end for the Tennessee Titans and a volunteer firefighter, will be on hand to discuss heart-health with firefighters. The NVFC will sell footballs to benefit the program, which can be autographed by Kinney.

For more information on attending FDIC, visit www.fdic.org.

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Dozens of firefighters gathered for a workshop titled “Promoting Health and Wellness in the Fire Service” on April 5, 2006 in Washington, DC. The workshop was part of the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s (CFSI) National Fire and Emergency Services Dinner and Seminars, an annual two-day event that attracts thousands of key fire and emergency service personnel from across the country for meetings with legislators and a series of seminars addressing issues that directly relate to the safety of first responders.

“Health is a very important issue for firefighters because they are at an extremely high risk for heart disease,” said Maggie Wilson, Director of the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program and one of the workshop’s speakers. “Almost half of all firefighter deaths each year are due to heart attacks. This number is made even more tragic by the fact that most of these deaths are preventable. Proper health, fitness and nutrition are key to reversing this staggering trend. NVFC established the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program as a proactive measure to keep America’s firefighters safe and heart-healthy.”

The workshop focused on the steps local fire departments can take to improve the health and safety of firefighters. Wilson was joined in a roundtable discussion by Rich Duffy of the International Association of Fire Fighters and Chief Dave Daniels of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. Chief Ron Siarnicki, Executive Director of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, served as moderator. Gail Fast from L&T Health and Fitness, the company that performed cholesterol, blood pressure and body composition screenings for the first two years of the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, also spoke to the audience about the screening results.

Dozens of firefighters and emergency services personnel attended the workshop, including many members of the NVFC Board of Directors who were in town for their annual spring meeting. The audience had the opportunity to ask the panel questions about their programs and the health of the fire service in general.

To learn more about the program, visit www.healthy-firefighter.org. For information on NVFC, visit www.nvfc.org.

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NFL player Erron Kinney, who serves as a tight end for the Tennessee Titans, talked about his experience as a volunteer firefighter at the National Volunteer Fire Council’s (NVFC) spring Board meeting outside Washington, DC. Kinney, who serves as the spokesperson for the NVFC’s Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, addressed the NVFC Board during the annual Reception and Auction on April 5.

“When I introduce myself, it is as a firefighter first and a football player second,” Kinney told the audience. He discussed his role in the Heart-Healthy program and the importance of heart-health among firefighters. “I am honored to work with such a great program,” he said.

After his inspirational remarks, which received an enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience, Kinney signed footballs for Board members to benefit the NVFC. MSA, a corporate member of the NVFC, matched the sale of each football, bringing the total raised for the NVFC from the footballs to $2,000.

Kinney will also attend the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) with the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program at the end of April. He will discuss heart-health with attendees and sign more footballs to benefit the program. For more information on FDIC, visit www.FDIC.org.

Kinney has been involved with fire safety since he became a junior firefighter at the age of 13. He became certified during his sophomore year at Florida, and a year later was credited with saving a fellow firefighter’s life during a boat plant fire in Archer, Florida. Currently, Kinney is a member of the Williamson County Rescue Squad, Station 22, in Grassland, Tennessee, and a deputy chief for the Shady Grove Fire Department in Hickman County, Tennessee.

In addition to serving as Heart-Healthy spokesperson, Kinney is the spokesperson for Fire Safe Tennessee, an initiative to reduce fire deaths. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen also appointed Kinney to sit on the State Fire Commission, which sets standards and policies for firefighting in Tennessee.

To learn more about the program, visit www.healthy-firefighter.org. For information on NVFC, visit www.nvfc.org.

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Courtesy of Yahoo Health

Why Drink Water?

Your body is 60% water -- and not drinking enough can wreak havoc from head to toe. Up to half of all Americans suffer chronic mild dehydration that can cause fatigue, headache, loss of appetite, dry eyes and mouth. As we age, thirst becomes a less sensitive indicator of dehydration, so don't wait until you're thirsty to grab a glass. If you work out, drink more during intense physical activity, when dehydration is a real threat -- your body rapidly loses water through sweat and vapor in exhaled air. A rapid water loss of 5% of body weight can reduce muscular work by 20 - 30%.

Highway To Health

Wellness doesn't have to be expensive -- walking is an economical first step. It's easy, too. What better way to make exercise feel less like a chore and more a part of daily life? Some of the benefits of daily walks include reducing your risk of developing high blood pressure, lowering existing high blood pressure, lowering your risk of developing colon cancer, and reducing your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

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1. Take wheels off luggage.
2. Choose an activity that fits into your daily life.
3. Try your burger with just lettuce, tomato, and onion.
4. Ask a friend to exercise with you.
5. Make time in your day for physical activity.
6. Exercise with a video if the weather is bad.
7. Bike to the barbershop or beauty salon instead of driving.
8. Keep to a regular eating schedule.
9. If you find it difficult to be active after work, try it before work.
10. Take a walk or do desk exercises instead of a cigarette or coffee break.

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