Interview With Fire Chief Dan Kerrigan On Firefighter Health and Wellness

Fire Chief Dan Kerrigan talks about how to minimize the risk factors to firefighter health and how they can achieve and maintain what he calls functional fitness. This interview focuses on firefighters but is applicable to all public safety employees and employers.

Topics covered:

New awareness of the importance of firefighter fitness (00:02:35)

Cardiovascular risks and what firefighters can do to prevent them (00:05:40)

Cancer risks for firefighters (00:10:59)

The problem of dehydration (00:14:25)

Study: Effect of Heat Stress and Dehydration on Cardiovascular Function (00:18:36)

Sleep disorders (00:22:26)

Obesity (00:26:06)

Fire Service Joint Labor-Management Wellness-Fitness Initiative (00:24:46)

Dan’s Book: Firefighter Functional Fitness and its 7 recommendations on fitness (00:33:16)

Selecting the right doctors for annual medical examinations (00:33:47)

Privacy concerns with medical examinations (00:38:30)

Functional physical fitness (00:40:14)

Proper hydration (00:42:12)

Sensible nutrition (00:43:55)

Rest and recovery (00:47:55)

Exposure reduction (00:52:29)

Behavioral health resources (00:54:06)

Employee incentives (00:59:22)

How Dan has put his principles into play in his agency (01:01:26)

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