I have been truly fortunate over the past 10 years to travel around the country and present to numerous departments and at national conferences on health and fitness in the fire service. One of the common discussions that emerges wherever I go is that of culture—namely, how can a positive fitness culture be created in a department, and how can a department’s members be motivated to be healthier?
The answers to these questions can be complex. The solutions can be difficult to measure and obtain. That can cause departments and leadership to be half-hearted about addressing the matters or to avoid it altogether. The good news is that I have witnessed departments that are making great progress toward creating that positive culture, and they have done so by focusing on four common pillars: dedicated resources, accountability, supportive leadership and long-term commitment.
Resources
The first step in creating a positive fitness culture within a department is to educate members on the whys and hows. Newsletters, posting photographs and articles around the firehouse, and bringing in speakers are extremely helpful. In fact, I believe that the fire service is doing a good job with education and resources.
When I began contributing to Firehouse Magazine, I wrote one article per year. This year, at least one article that pertains to health and/or fitness will published in each issue. I remember being one of only three presenters at Firehouse World to discuss health and fitness. Today, fire service conferences regularly include numerous health and fitness seminars.
So, the resources are there for the taking. The onus is on you to find a way to get them in front of your members.
If your department doesn’t have a health and fitness team, it is incumbent on you to create one. Those who are designated for the team must focus on getting valid resources to the members and must be the fitness ambassadors who can help to drive the culture change. It’s extremely critical to invest in the team and to provide it with education and support.
Furthermore, all of those who are on the team must be on the same page when it comes to promoting functional fitness and health. The goals of any programming and resources must be to promote performance improvement, injury reduction and career longevity. Firehouse Magazine has some great articles that can be used as the framework for the team to utilize, such as “Creating a Fire-Rescue Workout Program”.
Accountability
Fitness accountability in the fire service is an extremely sensitive topic. There are arguments to be made on both sides. On one side, there is the point that passing a fitness test doesn’t necessarily mean that an individual can perform the job that’s required. On the other side, if we don’t hold members accountable for at least some parts of their health/fitness, are we failing to provide the best service to the community and/or department members?
When I worked with professional athletes, they were expected to show up at the beginning of a season at a certain level of fitness. If they didn’t show up at that level, they were fined or, in some cases, cut from the team. Almost every skilled profession has some form of continuing education and/or accountability standard.
Departments that have a positive fitness culture seem to have some form of accountability, whether it be mandatory physicals, yearly fitness assessments or periodic health surveys. One aspect that I believe is overlooked to a great extent and that must be implemented on a national level is annual or biannual skill assessments. Hold members accountable for actual skills that are needed for the job, such as raising a 24-foot ladder, moving a patient, carrying heavy equipment and going on air. Not only is this type of accountability valid for the fireground/on scene, but it can be used to promote fitness and health within the department.
As an individual, make sure that you are ready to perform the duties of the job. Unfortunately, members of the fire service don’t get the luxury of having an off-season. It would be nice if Mr. and Mrs. Smith would inform us when they are going to have a house fire, but, obviously, that isn’t in the cards. It’s imperative that you personally hold yourself accountable and make sure that you monitor your own health and dedicate time for fitness.
If you struggle to adopt accountable fitness testing, focus on skills first. Create an annual or biannual skills assessment that’s supported by the organizations that are involved and that promotes annual medicals. If your department doesn’t require them, create a plan to integrate them.
Leadership
The leadership that’s within the organization must understand and embrace the importance of consistent fitness. This includes setting the example and creating policy and guidelines that incorporate and place emphasis on functional fitness.
Although it’s great that health, safety and wellness topics now are discussed commonly today in fire departments/organizations across the United States, a look around the room in leadership classes often shows many fire service leaders who aren’t an example of fitness or health. Although there are numerous reasons for leadership to become physically unfit, they all boil down to a lack of priority for fitness. Some leaders state that they no longer are on the front lines and don’t need the same level of physical fitness that they once did. Although this might be true, the importance of fitness doesn’t change. As a leader, you still must manage stress and make good decisions. Consistent health/fitness can help with both of those functions.
Most importantly, department culture is driven by its leaders. “Do as I say and not as I do” doesn’t work in creating a positive fitness culture. If the organization values physical fitness, then the internal culture often values physical fitness as well.
If you are in any leadership position, you must ask yourself whether you are setting a good example. When I trained clients, one of the biggest excuses that was used to cancel appointments and eat poorly was children. This is understandable from time to time, but the question by which I always rebutted was, “What kind of example are you setting for your children?” Leadership in the fire service is remarkably similar: We all have excuses that we can bring up at any point in time, but if we truly are dedicated to helping others, we must start with ourselves.
Also, the departmental policy and training must support the culture. Integrate fitness and health lessons into the annual department training calendars and develop policies that promote fitness.
Commitment
A consistent commitment to a positive fitness culture might sound obvious, but when departments experience budget cuts, the most common areas that are affected are resources that are dedicated to health and wellness. Many departments create policies and procedures to promote a more fit culture but don’t implement nor support them. Many departments are willing to have fitness committees but don’t allocate resources and funding to help them to support their cause. Funding and resource allocation doesn’t need to be a lot, but it does need to be planned and consistent.
The key is to create a long-term plan that’s dedicated to improving the health and fitness of the department.
Start with a three-year plan and dedicate funds, resources and training that align with health promotion. Then, utilize data that derives from sick-time hours, injury time, program utilization and member surveys as a means to evaluate the effectiveness of the resources. You then must commit to the plan as well as find ways to evaluate its effectiveness. This formula also pertains to individuals who look to change their fitness culture.
Continual improvement
The fitness culture of the fire service is improving … slowly. With more concerted efforts and dedication, even greater improvements undoubtedly can be achieved. As a department and/or as an individual, if you dedicate resources to promoting a healthy and fit culture, hold your members and yourself accountable, have leaders who support health and fitness, and continually stay dedicated to the goal, you will see noticeable improvement. The healthier and the more fit that we are, the better that we can serve the community and serve each other.
Aaron Zamzow will present “Is Functional Fitness the Miracle Cure for the Fire Service?” at Firehouse Expo. To register, visit firehouseexpo.com.
