Cincinnati, Ohio— January/February 2005
Tucked among the hills of the Ohio River Valley is the City of Cincinnati. The third largest city in Ohio with over 330,000 residents has an expansive metropolitan area as well. This includes parts of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana, and adds another 2 million people. Cincinnati also features a generous complement of Fortune 500 companies including: Cinergy, Kroger, Procter & Gamble, and Federated Department Stores.

On April 1, 1853, the Cincinnati Fire Department became the first full-time paid department in the United States, and the first in the world to use steam fire engines.

Safety Comes First
The Cincinnati Fire Department has implemented a number of procedures to ensure the safety of its firefighters, as well as the community they serve. From a highly-trained Rapid Assistance Team (RAT), sophisticated accountability procedures at the fire scene, to four-person minimum manning, the department works hard to put safety first.

Not only is the safety of its personnel emphasized, but Fire Chief Robert Wright has set a goal of making the home a safer place within the community. He has introduced an aggressive community outreach program that continuously provides smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to all who need them in the community. These are provided to the hearing-impaired as well. The department is also actively involved in national safety and fire prevention programs for children. These include: Risk Watch, Learn Not To Burn, and Safe Kids.

The Beginnings of a Wellness Program
In early 2002, Safety Committee Chairman and Arson Investigator Paul Alloway, along with Local 48, spearheaded a pilot study on 50 firefighters to evaluate the feasibility of providing a department-wide wellness program. The successful pilot paved the way for him to recommend the program as part of their Union contract in 2003. In the Fall of that year, the Department was awarded with a FEMA Fire Act grant.

Wellness Program Succeeds
In the Summer of 2005, after nearly three years in the making, the grant provided the seed money for a comprehensive annual wellness program patterned after the IAFF/IAFC Wellness-Fitness Initiative. Services include: a complete physical, complete blood work, vision, hearing, lung function, chest x-ray, EKG, urinalysis, treadmill testing, and muscular strength and endurance. All personnel receive a health risk appraisal and access to online health interventions. The program was made voluntary to give firefighters a choice to participate. Currently, nearly 70% of the 789 sworn personnel have joined the program and new firefighters are joining every week.

Health and Fitness Coordinator and Firefighter John Davis oversees 21 Peer Fitness Trainers that provide support and training to firefighters seeking guidance with their fitness program. "A firefighter's job is going to take a toll. The rate of that toll can be slowed through proper conditioning and lifestyle practices," states Davis. Through the use of specialized software Davis is able to develop customized exercise prescriptions for those who request them.

District Chief Ron Texter serves as the Department's Health and Safety Officer. He believes that the program is just one more way of making the Department more efficient and progressive. "I have always been a strong proponent of firefighters being physically fit to perform their job," states the Chief. "Our job demands that we be in better shape than the average citizen."

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© 2006 Public Safety Medical Services