Indianapolis, Indiana - March 2004
Located in south central Marion County, Perry Township includes such communities as Beech Grove, Southport, and Edgewood.

The Perry Township Fire Department currently serves a population of 117,000 which encompasses 70 square miles. With this amount of area to cover, the department regularly partners with its neighbor to the north, the Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD), and Franklin Township Fire Department to the east. Three truck stops in the community create a potential increased risk of hazardous spills and the IFD provides HAZMAT support. Franklin Township offers dive rescue support, while Perry Township firefighters support
them on their emergency runs.

Not only is the Perry Township Fire Department serving its community well (averaging 7,500 runs per year), but it has also made a commitment to serving its personnel well. This includes monthly meetings between the Department chiefs, the township trustee and the Union to keep everyone on the same page regarding the needs, happenings and requests of the Department. In addition, the Department is enhancing officer training through such programs as teambuilding and effective communication.

Department Sets Health Goals
Lieutenant Jeff Quinn serves as the Department's health and safety coordinator. He shares that one of the biggest departmental goals is to take continued steps to increase the health and wellness of their personnel. "Firefighting is a young man's game. As we grow older we need to find ways to improve longevity and health. The easiest way to do this is through a wellness program," states Quinn.

One way the Department will do this is to implement a Department-sponsored fitness program that will provide assistance with firefighter training. The department currently has one peer fitness trainer and is seeking to certify a trainer for each shift. Another goal is to have a tobacco-free Department. For the last two years, the Department has only hired candidates who sign a tobacco-free contract. For current members, a free day off is awarded to those who test negative on an annual urine nicotine test. Since 2000, the Department has experienced a 10% drop in smoking levels. Only 15% of the Department currently smokes. The average in Indiana is 27%.

Medical Program Helping
The Department ultimately wants to follow the standards established by the IAFF and IAFC for a wellness-fitness program. This includes annual complete physicals, blood work, medical testing, and a complete fitness evaluation.
However, they have experienced significant benefits with their current occupational medical program which includes everything previously listed except fitness testing. Since implementing a more thorough medical program in 2000, the Department has seen the following improvements:

• Cholesterol levels have improved in 16% of personnel
• Treadmill testing has shown an improvement in aerobic fitness levels in 13% of personnel
• Those with five or more risk factors for disease have decreased by nearly 10%
• Disease has been caught in its early stages and brought under control in many individuals
• There has been an overall shift to fewer risk factors per individual over the years

All of this has been accomplished even as the average age of the Department has continued to increase. As a self-insured Department, these results will clearly help control costs for Perry Township, but more importantly, improve the quality of life of their public safety personnel.

Click here for the Perry Twp. Fire Department newsletter article.

For more information on the Perry Twp. Fire Department, visit online by clicking here.

© 2006 Public Safety Medical Services