Congratulations to the City of Richmond Fire Department —- recently awarded $224,957 through the competitive Assistance to Firefighters grant program from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to enact a comprehensive Health and Wellness program. Based on research correlating physical fitness to successful job performance, this program intends to address firefighters’ fitness in order to protect against injury or death by enhancing ability and job performance. The ultimate goal: promote the safety of the community at large through increased morale and ability within the Fire Department.
The program includes several components, accounting for individualized needs as well as providing a systemic support system throughout the city’s seven fire stations. Individualized attention will come in the form of annual physical exams, including hearing tests, to be performed at Kaiser Permanente, a key partner, with a program of immunizations, ensuring up-to-date protection against Tetanus and Hepatitis as well as annual influenza shots to protect against a dangerous shortage of staff during flu season. Additionally, each firefighter will be provided a comprehensive Health Risk Assessment, also provided by Kaiser Permanente, including cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure screenings, body fat analysis, and Body Mass Index testing, with individualized sessions to aid employees in the interpretation of their profile. Mandatory thrice-annual fitness assessments, provided by the YMCA of the East Bay, will serve to provide each firefighter with an individualized program of training to improve aerobic health and physical strength which they will be able to pursue with the aid of physical trainers who will meet with firefighters individually four times a year.
A Fitness “Boot Camp” will be implemented in partnership with the YMCA of the East Bay to build camaraderie and to continue to foster a health and fitness oriented mindset within the department. Additionally, each of the seven fire stations and the departmental administrative offices are to be outfitted with fitness equipment, provided so that firefighters can complete a mandatory four hour per week on duty exercise requirement. Seminars will be offered on topics ranging from nutrition to stress reduction to provide firefighters with tools to improve their Health and Wellness profiles. Finally, the program intends to draw from within the department to appoint seven peer trainers who will be certified and responsible for fitness testing and maintaining an atmosphere of health and wellness in the department.
