Firefighters are three times more likely to suffer heart disease

CHANDLER, AZ - A Valley hospital is hoping to change what is an alarming trend in the health of firefighters.

A study out of Georgia shows that firefighters are three times more likely to suffer heart disease. What is even more troubling is that many firefighters pass routine health screenings and their risks go undetected.

The research that was done at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta showed that firefighters often had a higher body mass index. Doctors studied firefighters there and are implementing new, more advanced screenings to include genetic testing in addition to other screenings such as cholesterol.

Megan McCarthy, a nurse practitioner at Heart Science Center and Mercy Gilbert, is working with health professionals to put that research to work here in the Valley.

“Through diet, exercise, through adding medications, basically doing things earlier than we normally would,” she said.

McCarthy said that in January, the Heart Science Center along with Mercy Gilbert will launch a campaign aimed at promoting healthy habits and making genetic screenings and other advanced prevention methods more available to firefighters and fire departments.

While many firefighters don’t show obvious warning signs and appear to be in good health, the stress and work conditions of the job may be creating additional risk factors that are much harder to detect.

Chandler Firefighter Russell Applegate was a former professional athlete and appeared to be in perfect health when he suffered a heart attack in August.

“I was in denial,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it could happen to me.”

Chandler Fire Department Battalion Chief Paul Nies explained that irregular sleep schedules, combined with stressful situations and extreme physical demands, are just part of the job. But, learning how to cope with them better might help save lives.