HEARING, BUT NOT LISTENING

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Comment by Mary Ann Hooton on May 9, 2012 at 6:22pm

Nutrition and fitness are vital....it should be a mandatory part of a Firefighter training and lifestyle......Unfortunately process foods and fast food chains have taken over and lured many from the simple art of proper dieting. I would be curious to see a firefighter study on how many actually know simple anatomy, the systems and the body, and even the basics on how the body works in relation to nutrition and exercise.

Comment by Paul Combs on May 9, 2012 at 12:23pm

Agreed!

Comment by John Carder on May 9, 2012 at 12:03pm

The wildland fire world has this figured out. If you want your red card, you have to pass the annual, arduous pack test. That means walking three miles with 45 pounds on your back in 45 minutes. That's a fast pace to maintain. The NFPA should recommend a simple, annual performance test like that. Size alone is not the issue. Some big people are in shape. Some small people are not strong. The point is whether or not you can do the job. If you need a waist extender for your SCBA rig, you probably cannot do the job.

Comment by Paul Combs on May 9, 2012 at 10:26am

Thanks for sharing, Chief - it's sincerely inspiring!! Hopefully folks will listen and learn from your experience.

As for hate mail... well, it comes with the territory:) And I honestly do not mind.

Comment by David "Dewey" Atkocaitis on May 9, 2012 at 10:16am

Paul,

I’m sorry your receiving hate mail over the topic, you see an alarming issue and bring it to light, just like you have done with your art, you broach the shhh topics, don’t talk about it, it may offend…ie Suicide, safety, seatbelts, fitness….I’m  speaking from the heart when I say it took a lot for me to make a change, I had thought about  it, and thought about it, and thought about it….I got bigger, tried every diet known to man, had some success, and then put it back on, it took my ah ha moments of I was at 558lbs, a Part time Deputy Chief and active fireground officer…or so I kept convincing myself…1. I went to climb a ladder at a working fire in a bungalow, hit the 5^th or 6^th rung and though my knees and shins were going to literally explode, I had ordered new gear yet again at a size 74 yup they made it no questions asked and the salesman even got them to wave the upcharge using do you make the small gear cheaper argument…I wanted a FDNY Gemtor harness, Id called Gemtor, inquired about having one made, and the rep not knowing it was for me, laughed and said..”are You Kidding me?” No way in hell …. And then a friend said some real hurtful things when we were in NY after 9-11 working… Those were my breaking points…Its not easy to admit people have problems, or to ask for help…..But I was lucky enough to have a few guys I was lucky to have met that gave me such encouragement and an positive outlook it helped make the change…I met Denis Leary and the Cast of Rescue Me after 9-11, and when Rescue Me was a concept. Denis, Adam Ferrara, Lenny Clarke, Diane Farr…and the Hockey greats that Support the Leary Firefighter Foundation…..they were so encouraging and were so positive about it and I had huge support here and made the decision to go the Weight Loss Surgery route….It’s been an amazing journey, with high points and low points, high points, Completing my first outdoor triathlon and numerous indoor ones as well, landing a career position with a local fire department, meeting my wife and having 3 amazing children, My lowest was my body not cooperating with the hardcore fitness for the Chicago Fire EMS Academy my dream job, It wasn’t that I wasn’t fit my body couldn’t keep up and I ended up in near kidney  failure, I suffer from Kidney stones as a rare side effect from the type of WLS but I’ll live with that and if knowing that would happen would choose to do it again…Like I said its easy to harp and b**** about the fat guys, and until they have their ah ha moment they won’t buy in to change, some guys it takes a life changing event…some guys never have that ah ha moment….but our own culture doesn’t help…we spend 24 hrs together and have some amazing cooks and chefs in the firehouse, I love to cook,…it’s a family environment and we eat….it still in this day and age that you have the departments that are either end of the spectrum with fitness they go balls to the wall and embrace it, or are so afraid of liability they won’t allow it….I’m asking the guys that are big, stop really take a look and ask yourself do I like living like this, am I truly happy, once you empower yourself to make that change…its exhilarating one of my friends on the Job, hit his highest and lost a 100+ lbs after he hit his heaviest at the 350 range and as a reminder had 358 tattooed on his wrist a s a reminder that when he went to do something like eat a donut he saw that weight on his wrist and said nope….Your so right we work an extremely dangerous job, and adding the additional stress of being unhealthy shouldn’t be one….were losing guys younger and younger with MI’s, and strokes….Please I beg you guys stop make today you choose, make the decision to be health empower yourself to take control back…..If you love the job now,
you’ll love it a 1000X’s more while healthy…trust me I’m living proof…..

Comment by Paul Combs on May 9, 2012 at 8:12am

FYI: This is a one-two punch commentary! My June Fire Engineering magazine commentary tackles obesity in fire service, too. This will give some of you the satisfaction of sending your 'hate' emails all over again:)

Comment by Paul Combs on May 8, 2012 at 3:27pm

Thanks to all who have shared their thoughts. Please, let's remember to keep a positive and constructive outlook here. Tangible solutions need to be offered, so if anyone has fitness and nutrition websites they'd like to share, this would be a great time.

Comment by Tim Benner on May 8, 2012 at 2:03pm

I also have tried to have this conversation and have been told that its none of my business. Which is of course wrong as any member that can't pull his own weight (no pun intended) on the fireground puts their problem on the other members. Your correct in your observation that these guys can't be frontline or interior firefighters. One guy even told me that he "only" drives and pumps so its not that important to be in shape. Number one, they only have minimal aerobic capacity and number two, modern scba does not have straps that are long enough that would fit some of these guys.  

Comment by Carol Wilder-Goodwin on May 8, 2012 at 1:57pm

We received a grant for new turnout gear my second year on the department.  When we were measured for sizing I found out I was under-tall for my width.  (I'm 5'2" with my fire boots on.) 

Ordering a standard size would mean I'd have my gear in the first shipment.  Alterations meant I might have to wait an additional 6-8 weeks to get my gear.

I used this as my excuse to finally buckle down and lose weight.  By the time the grant was approved and we could actually order our gear I'd lost over 40 lbs, was eating better, and exercised almost every day. 

I didn't realize how much of a difference the weight made until the first time I had to pack up and go in. 

I'm just glad it was a shiny new set of turnouts that motivated me to do something and not keeling over in a house fire.

Maybe that guy just doesn't have a mirror wide enough to be able to see the whole picture?  The truth hurts.

Comment by Paul Muth on May 8, 2012 at 1:03pm

Sir I have purchased your book, prints and posted them at my station and in my home. This one is very poignant! Keep em coming!

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