According to NFPA statistics, 89 firefighters died while on duty
in 2006. And what was the number one cause? You guessed it, sudden
cardiac death. The good news is that death from cardiac related
problems is at its lowest point in the 30 year history of the
NFPA study. We've done a lot over the years to reduce cardiac
deaths, but I believe there is one more step we must take to knock
it out of its number one spot for good. In February of 2001, I
wrote my NFA Executive Fire Officer Research paper on CORONARY
CALCIUM SCORING OF FIREFIGHTERS. The research was based on
Electron Beam Computed Tomography (EBCT) scanning. Today it is
more commonly called Cardiac Scoring.
Fire fighting, emergency medical service (EMS), and emergency
response functions place heavy physical and psychological demands
on firefighters and EMS personnel. These demands are usually made
under very strenuous conditions. Even though we recognize that
physical fitness and physical examination programs have been developed
and implemented, there is still, in my opinion, a void in total
cardiac assessment and risk prevention. My research attempted
to hopefully discover one more step toward keeping firefighters
healthy, add to the longevity of the firefighters' employment
and retirement, and even prevent the leading cause of death among
firefighters in America, heart attack.
Since I wrote that research paper, my department has taken this
idea one step further. We have made an agreement with a local
radiological diagnostic center to offer our firefighters and their
families the opportunity to have this scan or even a complete
body scan. The body scan takes about five minutes, is done on
a catscan table, and covers cardiac screening, the chest, abdominal
and pelvic areas. I know firefighters in my department and neighboring
departments that have found critical medical problems in the beginning
stages that most likely would not have been found until they keeled
over dead. Since they caught these problems early, they were able
to seek corrective medical attention. Several other departments
throughout the DFW Metroplex have also implemented this program,
and have told me that it is working for them as well.
We in the fire industry have spent a lot of time and dollars
on physical fitness and physical examinations for firefighters,
but the payoff has been minimal in relation to the optimal prevention
of cardiac related deaths. The number one cause of death among
firefighters is heart attack and cardiac related problems. Nearly
50 percent of our firefighters die from heart attacks. Physical
fitness, stress testing, and physical examinations are necessary,
but do not adequately fulfill cardiac assessment prevention efforts.
This makes a very valid case for the use of cardiac assessment
for firefighters. I highly recommend your department develop a
cardiac or, better yet, a complete body scan program for your
firefighters.
Since statistics reveal that most cardiac problems develop after
the age of forty, the Cardiac Scoring/EBCT should be used as a
diagnostic tool on firefighters forty and over, regardless of
gender. The scan should be given to firefighters at the age of
forty and every five years thereafter. Results from the scan can
point to risk factors that can then be analyzed by a firefighter's
personal physician or the fire department attending physician.
Life style changes and possibly further diagnostic testing can
then be suggested and implemented.
With the development of electron beam computed tomography, cardiac
scoring, we now have a diagnostic tool besides physical examinations
and stress testing that can significantly reduce the heart attack
risk that firefighters encounter. Cardiac Scoring/EBCT can be
an additional tool used to diagnose cardiac problems in firefighters
before the occurrence of a cardiac event. Cardiac Scoring/EBCT
is the first preventative measure implemented in the 21st century
that finally makes an impact on the statistic that has plagued
us for 30 years, the leading cause of death in firefighters, heart
attack. I believe that if fire departments across America will
objectively view Cardiac Scanning/EBCT and body scans as a valid
tool for cardiac assessment of firefighters, we may add to the
life longevity of our firefighters.
Jeff Tokar
FETN Director of Education
TWL Knowledge Group Jeff.Tokar@TWLK.com
972-309-5065, 1-800-624-2272 ext. 5065
