Health and Safety

Fitness Resources 

Fire Department Fitness Challenges:

COUCH TO 5K

• Challenge yourself and your department to run a 5K (3.1 miles).  Set a goal to run in a local event and/or set a goal to run in the 2nd  Annual 5K at our conference, in June!  I’ve personally used this program, and it works! The “Couch to 5K” program is a beginner’s running plan, designed for people who want to take up running, but don’t know where  to start.
  • You alternate between walking and running until you build strength
  • It is an 8 week long plan
  • You workout 3 times a week, ideally with breaks between days
  • Each workout session is from 25-40 minutes long (including a 3 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down)

  For example: Week 1 Day 1: Welcome to your first workout. Start with a 5 minute warm-up then repeat 9 times the following intervals:

  • Run 60 seconds
  • Walk 90 seconds

  Cool-down with a 5 minute walk.

  Week 2 has you running a bit more than walking and so on for a total of 8 weeks. The goal is to get you running 30 minutes straight, roughly 5K.

30 Day Fitness Challenge

• This is an excellent collection of challenges designed to help you reach fitness goals with 30-day benchmarks.  One example is a challenge that will take you from not being able to do any push-ups, to doing 15 push-ups at the end of 30 days…to doing 40 push-ups at the end of 60 days.  This website emphasizes correct form for each exercise in it’s challenges.

Day Zero Project

• The Day Zero project has a collection of Health & Fitness Challenges to meet you where you are.  The goal is to get you off the couch and doing something…with fitness challenges and goals to give you something to shoot for.  Challenges range from walking/running 30 miles in 30 days (1 mile a day for 30 days) to doing 200 consecutive sit-ups!  Read more on their website.

“Fired Up for Fitness Challenge” –  The Fired Up For Fitness Challenge is an interactive fitness program that allows firefighters and emergency personnel to log their hours of activity.  Read more HERE

“Heart-Healthy Firefighter Monthly Challenges” –  You can keep up motivation and morale for a department health and fitness program by making it a challenge among department members. Consider issuing a new health and wellness challenge each month to your department members. Read more HERE

Fire Fit – An easy to follow fitness regimen

Other Useful Links

Cancer Posters in PDF for you to download and print

Training Resources from Responder Safety  …link added 8-14-12

• Model SOPs
• Traffic Vests
• Setting up traffic control zones and cone placement
• Highway Lane designations and terminology

Standard Fire Orders for Wildland and Structural firefighters, provided by IAFC, SHS Section

Mesothelioma/Cancer Awareness – A leading site on firefighters and cancer awareness with Asbestos

Firefighters and Mesothelioma – The Hidden Risk Firefighters Face

Mesothelioma and Asbestos – Information for Firefighters from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance

Advanced Recovery Systems, an organization dedicated to providing assistance to people with substance abuse issues, and co-occurring disorders.

NVFC “Put It Out” InitiativeThe National Volunteer Fire Council has launched a new web site to help first responders quit smoking.  Please take a look at the site at healthy-firefighter.org

The City of Georgetown SC Fire Department has implemented a new ordinance designed for FF and public safety that will designate and identify Engineered Wood Truss Buildings in their Community.  View HERE the ordinance components and HERE for the building marker design.