Firefighter - 2020 - 48

48

By Janel Vasallo

THE

HEALTH & SAFETY INITIATIVES
TAKE CENTER STAGE AT THE LAKELAND FIRE DEPARTMENT

- Harvey Ries

"

Driver Engineer
and Active Dad
Harvey gained 30 + lbs in
Paramedic school and
no longer felt like himself.
So he took charge and lost
weight by finding a fitness
plan that worked for him.

HEALTH

WORKPLACE SAFETY

PHYSICAL FITNESS

IT'S PERSONAL

and

MENTAL WELLNESS
CANCER PREVENTION

IT'S PERSONAL

CANCER PREVENTION

"

SAFETY

WORKPLACE SAFETY

stay active. I don't want
to reflect on my life and
regret having missed
out on fun times with
the most important
people in my life,
my family!

MENTAL WELLNESS

SAFETY

and

HEALTH

PHYSICAL FITNESS

I experienced an injury
on the job. It led to a
long journey of physical
therapy and pain
management. It was
a tough learning
experience but helped
me understand the
value of working
smarter, not harder.

WORKPLACE SAFETY

two high-energy kids is my motivation
"Having
to turn off the TV, put the phone down, and

MENTAL WELLNESS
my personal
"Addressing
mental health was the
first step towards
healing. Sharing my
journey with others
was the second.

"

- John Almskog
Training Chief and
Mental Health
Advocate

"

- Matt Warner
Maintenance Chief
and Safety Advocate

IT'S PERSONAL

SAFETY

and

HEALTH

WORKPLACE SAFETY

PHYSICAL FITNESS

CANCER PREVENTION

MENTAL WELLNESS

The fire service is a hazardous
business. Be aware and be
careful to avoid a preventable
workplace injury.

Need someone to talk to? Reach
out to John, other peer support
team members, or anyone you trust
at the department. It just takes one
step to start your own journey.

PHYSICAL FITNESS

It's no secret that firefighters face
many risks in the work they do. It's part
of the appeal to some, and a deterrent
to others, when choosing a career in the
fire service. But the more prevalent risks
in firefighting today aren't necessarily
the catastrophic events often depicted in
movies and primetime dramas. Emerging
research is showing the new hazards
threatening the health and lives of firefighters are killers we don't see: cancer,
heart disease, and post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD).
This is something the Lakeland Fire
Department (LFD), like several other fire
departments in the State of Florida, finds
unacceptable, especially given the amount
of resources in personal protection and
mental wellness services available today.
So LFD took action in 2016 by becoming
the first department in the state to provide
carcinogen-barrier hoods to its firefighters.
That one small step developed into an
entire campaign: Health and Safety: It's
Personal. The campaign is built around

addressing four key issues: occupational
cancer prevention, mental health, physical
health, and personal safety on the job.
Research from the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer
Center, and others have identified cancer
as a major health risk to firefighters today.
With greater attention on the increased
rates of cancer and cancer-related deaths
among firefighters, departments like LFD
are moved to action to keep its emergency
responders and their families safe.
The Lakeland Fire Department has
gradually made changes over the past
two years to help prevent exposure of
carcinogens to its firefighters. With the
formation of new advocacy and research
groups in the Florida Fire Service, like
the Florida Firefighters Safety and Health
Collaborative (FFSHC) and Firefighters
Against Cancer Epidemic (F.A.C.E),
LFD has taken a more active role than
ever in the past year by joining these
organizations and making significant

changes in how firefighters respond to
and clean up after incidents.
The extent of the preventative
measures being taken by the Lakeland
Fire Department are significant and merit
awareness so that citizens, employees of
the department, and other fire departments
can become more knowledgeable on what
is being done to prevent occupational
cancers and how prevention efforts can
save lives.
The department produced a 14
minute video to educate locals on what
they're doing to keep its firefighters, and in
turn, its citizens safe. The production, which
is available on the department's YouTube®
channel and other social media outlets
for open-source use, visually describes
what these preventative measures are.
From decontamination on-scene, to
foot washing stations, and policies like
shower-within-the-hour, the department
is systematically decreasing exposure to
carcinogens through changes big and
small. Department cancer survivors share
Firefighter - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Firefighter - 2020
