By Brian Ward
We have all known for quite some time the hazards of firefighting. These hazards include everything from the smoke we breathe to our heart rate elevating from 60 to 120 in a matter of seconds. Ask firefighters what cardiac concerns they have, and the majority of them will list several without stopping to think. The fire service as a whole has continuously addressed these concerns by distributing information and raising awareness. The most notable examples include the International Association of Fire Chief’s Fire/EMS Safety, Health, and Survival Week; the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation’s “Everyone Goes Home” program; and evenFire Engineering’投入一个主题一个year—in the December issue—to firefighter health. However, this problem remains the number one killer in the fire service. It does not quite seem to sink in unless it affects us or a colleague.
In 2003, members of the Gwinnett County (GA) Fire and Emergency Services (GCFES) received a severe blow when we suffered the loss of one of our own. While operating on the roof during a commercial structure fire, Lieutenant Bobby Patrick suffered a fatal heart attack. He was a well-respected and healthy 53-year-old firefighter with no known cardiac disease. Having his photo hanging in every firehouse and having a neighborhood elementary school named after him serve as reminders of what can happen in this occupation even when everything else is going right. No fire department wants to experience this and its impact—which reaches from the crew to the family to the morale of the entire department. In response, the GCFES Command Staff and Retired Chief Steve Rolader began establishing parameters to prevent the repeat of such an incident.
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