| Dear Editor,
On Friday April 11, 2008 your paper published an article
regarding Firefighter Health specifically related to cardiac wellness,
Firefighters take steps to stop silent killer. We, the New Jersey Firemen’s
Mutual Benevolent Association (NJFMBA) representing over 5,000 of New
Jersey’s Career Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, and
Dispatchers, applaud your reporting on this issue and allowing the
importance of firefighter wellness and health to be brought to the public
forum.
An aspect that was not touched upon in the article was
that firefighters are injured and killed in other many other ways, and
should serve as a call to action from the media in assisting the fire
service in avoiding these injuries and fatalities. Tragically, New Jersey is
one of the few states in this great nation that has had at least one
firefighter listed on the National Firefighter Memorial in Emmitsburg,
Maryland each year since its inception. Too often we have been called to
mourn our Brothers and Sisters whether they are within the confines of this
great state or beyond. We have wept for and with the families and friends of
the deceased, making no distinction between traumatic and medical, career
and volunteer. A widely reported statistic that an average one hundred
firefighters die each year is grossly inaccurate. It is not an average but
an approximation. From 1994-2007, an average of 114 firefighters have died
in the line of duty. This number is far greater than the number reported. On
July 1st 2008 we will be joining others in marking the 20th
anniversary of what is now known as the Hackensack Ford Fire where five
Hackensack firefighters lost their lives.
Currently, our members are witnessing attacks on their
pension system as being too lucrative, with some of the attackers saying
that we retire too young and live too long. I am sure that they are not
talking about the members who have developed certain types of cancer which
may be attributed to occupational exposure. We currently withstand the
misinformed positions from the press and others who point to the number of
fire trucks in a municipality or in a particular county as being problematic
and solely being a drain on the taxes. Often comparing Northern NJ to the
Five Boros of NYC, and how the number of fire apparatus in Bergen and
Passaic Counties out number those in NYC. In Bergen and Passaic counties,
those fire trucks when staffed can have as little as one firefighter
assigned to it, and as many as four, otherwise they sit idle when not
staffed properly. As a career firefighter in the shadows of NYC, I have
personally witnessed these staffing levels, seeing an engine company arrive
with a crew of three members, first due on a reported fire, and expected to
perform the work of five or six people. This is the norm throughout the
state and not the exception. Ask any firefighter whether Career or Volunteer
what puts out fires? The answer: Firefighters. It shouldn’t surprise anyone
that cardiac events and strokes are leading killers of firefighters. What is
surprising is that more firefighters aren’t dying or becoming injured from
the cardiac events and strokes as a result of this rampant understaffing.
The NJFMBA has made it a point to educate all its members
in on subject of firefighter safety, health and wellness. We invite renowned
lecturers to present to our members at each of our annual meetings. These
lecturers have touched upon the very subject of cardiac wellness at our most
recent convention. We have leading authors present timely and topical
information to our members which in turn leads to a safer working
atmosphere. We have had Federal and State agencies present seminars to our
members to educate them of the hazards associated with our jobs. We
encourage our members to participate in The Gift of Capt Buscio Program, a
physical program created by Donna Buscio, who herself had lost her husband
Capt Dominick Buscio (JCFD) and who has worked tirelessly in advocating for
firefighter health and wellness. This program has been expanded to all
Career and Volunteer firefighters in the State. No matter what mantel the
firefighter operates under, the firefighter who dies leaves a family behind.
We have and do continue to advocate for our members to participate in other
wellness initiatives. We have member locals whose departments have certified
personal trainers, dieticians and medical professionals contracted to
evaluate and assist in raising the overall wellness of their department. We
were one of the first organizations to adopt a fatality and injury
prevention program that is for available to all firefighters, and have had
our locals recognized by the national program. It is easy to view the
firefighter as being a carefree individual whose sole existence is to
sacrifice some part of his/her being for the greater good. When asked about
the best job in the world, the firefighter will proudly say theirs is.
Despite the fact, that firefighting is also the most stressful job;
physically and mentally.
Just as we are aware of and afford our members the ability
to become educated on firefighter wellness we are aware and knowledgeable
that no matter how physically fit a member is, one firefighter is not able
to do the work of three, five or six. And while the question asked what puts
out fires? The answer must be properly staffed fire apparatus.
We understand math and the pressures of the economy. We
live here too; we are your neighbors, friends and associates. We also pay
the same tolls and taxes as everyone else in this state. But fortunately for
others and at our own risk, our safety is affected by the budget. Is it a
reality that money doesn’t grow on trees? Yes. Is it a reality that other
groups are clambering for the same dollar? Yes. Another reality is that when
the economy turns and people begin to feel the pressures of it, the services
provided by our members are more needed than ever.
Paul C. Kearns Jr.
Health, Safety and Education Chairman
New Jersey State Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association
1447 Cambell St.
Rahway, NJ 07065-3212
pkearns@njfmba.org
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