New program keeping MFD firefighters fit
Mywesttexas.com
Ish Gonzales said he never had any symptoms of cardiac problems.
He never even had any signs that his heart was in trouble.
As a Midland paramedic and firefighter, the 37-year-old works to save the lives of others when he goes out on calls.
He never realized that his own life might need to be saved if his heart had failed him on the job.
Heart attacks are the No. 1 cause of firefighter deaths in the United States.
So far, 103 firefighters have died this year, and 43 of those have suffered from heart attacks, according to statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration.
The Midland Fire Department has decided to implement a wellness program so their employees won't become one of those statistics.
This year, the department was awarded a $169,100 federal grant. The city of Midland matched it 20 percent with $42,275. The department used the money to start the program for its staff and recently purchased brand new exercise equipment to install in all the town's stations.
"It's important for us to want to take care of our own and become more health conscious," MFD Chief Russ Conley said.
The department will purchase one aerobic machine and a self-spotting weight machine, among other equipment for each station.
Conley said he chose to have identical equipment purchased for each station rather than making one centrally-located gym for all the firefighters to use.
This way, he said, firefighters will be in their own district, where if the bell goes off, they'll still be able to go out on call.
"They can get a good quality workout at each station," he added.
But the money will not only be used to purchase exercise equipment for the department. It will also provide a well-balanced fitness program for all its employees -- including full in-depth physical exams, trained peer fitness counselors and safer kitchen equipment.
The in-depth physical exam -- which provides testing in EKG (electrocardiogram) levels, hearing tests and blood work in addition to a full physical -- is what saved Gonzales' life.
The firefighter said he knew he had a family history of coronary heart disease, so when the program was established and a stress-test was offered with the physical exam, he opted for it.
"It was for my own peace of mind to have it done," he said.
The tests showed "questionable" results. A slight, minor change in the EKG levels signified problems. An angiogram was then ordered from a local doctor.
"Up until this point," Gonzales said. "I still didn't know to what extent (the problem was)."
The results showed blockage, 40 percent and 50 percent, in two arteries. And because of the locations, a stent was out of the question.
The only solution was a double bypass surgery for the firefighter before he had a heart attack on the job.
A similar situation happened at the fire department in Shoreline, Wash. There fire battalion chief Jim Batdorf, who after having a similar stress test performed, found out that he had an 80-percent blockage in a major coronary artery. The department there caught it early on also because of a similar wellness program they had for their employees.
Kevin Fetter, once a Midland firefighter who transferred to the Shoreline department, saw the positive effects of the program and talked to MFD Capt. Drew Peters about getting a program started for the Midland department.
Peters was sold on the idea. In 2005, he attended the International Association of Firefighters conference in Phoenix, Ariz., to learn more about the Joint Wellness-Fitness Initiative.
The Initiative encourages local departments to support on-shift exercise training for their staff, and to sponsor in-depth physical exams to make sure all firefighters are in shape for what the job requires.
Peters has attended the symposium in Phoenix every year since. He has been one of the supporters at the Midland department who has pushed for the program. And he's excited about what it will help with.
"It will be a well-balanced fitness program," he said.
The program, among purchasing new equipment and providing physical exams, will also train firefighters who have volunteered to be peer fitness counselors in the stations and provide nutritional and healthy-cooking classes for the firefighters.
Gonzales said he's grateful for the program already and feels blessed and fortunate for it.
Without detecting his heart problems early on, he said, he could have gone into a fire, had a heart attack and died.
Peters agrees. He said Gonzales wouldn't have know about his heart problems had the program not provided the testing.
With the 100 pounds of gear on, Peters said, Gonzales could have had restrictive breathing and possibly a stress-related accident on the job.
"It's all worth it," he said. "(The program) has already saved one of our guy's lives."
Ish Gonzales said he never had any symptoms of cardiac problems.
He never even had any signs that his heart was in trouble.
As a Midland paramedic and firefighter, the 37-year-old works to save the lives of others when he goes out on calls.
He never realized that his own life might need to be saved if his heart had failed him on the job.
Heart attacks are the No. 1 cause of firefighter deaths in the United States.
So far, 103 firefighters have died this year, and 43 of those have suffered from heart attacks, according to statistics from the U.S. Fire Administration.
The Midland Fire Department has decided to implement a wellness program so their employees won't become one of those statistics.
This year, the department was awarded a $169,100 federal grant. The city of Midland matched it 20 percent with $42,275. The department used the money to start the program for its staff and recently purchased brand new exercise equipment to install in all the town's stations.
"It's important for us to want to take care of our own and become more health conscious," MFD Chief Russ Conley said.
The department will purchase one aerobic machine and a self-spotting weight machine, among other equipment for each station.
Conley said he chose to have identical equipment purchased for each station rather than making one centrally-located gym for all the firefighters to use.
This way, he said, firefighters will be in their own district, where if the bell goes off, they'll still be able to go out on call.
"They can get a good quality workout at each station," he added.
But the money will not only be used to purchase exercise equipment for the department. It will also provide a well-balanced fitness program for all its employees -- including full in-depth physical exams, trained peer fitness counselors and safer kitchen equipment.
The in-depth physical exam -- which provides testing in EKG (electrocardiogram) levels, hearing tests and blood work in addition to a full physical -- is what saved Gonzales' life.
The firefighter said he knew he had a family history of coronary heart disease, so when the program was established and a stress-test was offered with the physical exam, he opted for it.
"It was for my own peace of mind to have it done," he said.
The tests showed "questionable" results. A slight, minor change in the EKG levels signified problems. An angiogram was then ordered from a local doctor.
"Up until this point," Gonzales said. "I still didn't know to what extent (the problem was)."
The results showed blockage, 40 percent and 50 percent, in two arteries. And because of the locations, a stent was out of the question.
The only solution was a double bypass surgery for the firefighter before he had a heart attack on the job.
A similar situation happened at the fire department in Shoreline, Wash. There fire battalion chief Jim Batdorf, who after having a similar stress test performed, found out that he had an 80-percent blockage in a major coronary artery. The department there caught it early on also because of a similar wellness program they had for their employees.
Kevin Fetter, once a Midland firefighter who transferred to the Shoreline department, saw the positive effects of the program and talked to MFD Capt. Drew Peters about getting a program started for the Midland department.
Peters was sold on the idea. In 2005, he attended the International Association of Firefighters conference in Phoenix, Ariz., to learn more about the Joint Wellness-Fitness Initiative.
The Initiative encourages local departments to support on-shift exercise training for their staff, and to sponsor in-depth physical exams to make sure all firefighters are in shape for what the job requires.
Peters has attended the symposium in Phoenix every year since. He has been one of the supporters at the Midland department who has pushed for the program. And he's excited about what it will help with.
"It will be a well-balanced fitness program," he said.
The program, among purchasing new equipment and providing physical exams, will also train firefighters who have volunteered to be peer fitness counselors in the stations and provide nutritional and healthy-cooking classes for the firefighters.
Gonzales said he's grateful for the program already and feels blessed and fortunate for it.
Without detecting his heart problems early on, he said, he could have gone into a fire, had a heart attack and died.
Peters agrees. He said Gonzales wouldn't have know about his heart problems had the program not provided the testing.
With the 100 pounds of gear on, Peters said, Gonzales could have had restrictive breathing and possibly a stress-related accident on the job.
"It's all worth it," he said. "(The program) has already saved one of our guy's lives."
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