On-the-job heart attacks are the biggest threat to the lives of firefighters. Why? And what can we do about it?
By Clint Carter and InsideTracker
This article originally appeared in the Fall 2024 issue. View the full issue here.
Cardiologists expect to treat certain groups of people more than others. Heart disease is higher, for instance, among older adults, smokers and people struggling with obesity. Firefighters haven’t consistently been recognized as part of that high-risk group. But that’s changing.
Research shows that every time you respond to a fire, you may be increasing your risk for heart trouble. Katie Vanchiere, a doctor in the Penn Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship Program at the Perelman School of Medicine, stumbled onto this connection a few years ago.
At the time, Dr. Vanchiere was surprised to hear from colleagues that firefighters were being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or Afib, at an abnormally high rate.
“The correlation was not really one we had any awareness of,” says Dr. Vanchiere. She and her team scratched their heads a bit, and then they decided to launch a study.
Afib is a condition that causes the heart to beat out of rhythm. It increases the risk of blood clots, stroke and heart failure. In 2022, after studying nearly 111,000 firefighters, Dr. Vanchiere and her team published their research. As it turns out, firefighters who fought the most fires (at least 31) were more than twice as likely to have Afib than those who fought the fewest (five or fewer).
It may seem obvious that running into a burning building is risky. For starters, there are quadruple-digit temperatures and falling structures. And even jumping out of a truck with heavy gear can lead to a twisted ankle or back sprain. But Dr. Vanchiere’s research adds to a growing body of evidence that heart disease is actually a more significant threat.
As it turns out, cardiac events such as heart attacks account for 45%
of on-the-job firefighter deaths.
This helps explain why CRACKYL is teaming up with the personalized health company InsideTracker. Together, we want to raise awareness about firefighter health so we can better serve those who make our communities strong.
The Data on Heart Health
InsideTracker uses blood, DNA and fitness tracker data to create personalized health plans for its users. Recently, the company compared blood tests from 323 first responders to those of over 15,000 people who work in other fields. The first responders scored worse on several critical measures of heart health, including triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol.
First responders also scored high for inflammation, which is a sign of trouble in the immune system. Their high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a sign of inflammation, was 18% higher than other InsideTracker users, indicating a higher risk for both short-term and long-term illnesses and diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
The data is concerning, to say the least. It raises big questions: What’s the cause? Why are first responders – and firefighters, in particular – more prone to disease states?
There’s more than one possible explanation. Firefighters deal with tremendous stress and unconventional sleep patterns. While battling fire, they may be exposed to chemical gasses and other hazardous substances. Heat stress can contribute to muscle fatigue and increase the risk of injury, and as a result, firefighters often live with pain.
An Ounce of Prevention
If you’re concerned about your health, the most important first step is to use your protective gear properly.
Any time there’s a possible air-quality risk, you should use a self-contained breathing apparatus with a properly fitting mask. And don’t be too quick to remove your gear.
“It seems like firefighters may not be wearing their PPE [personal protective equipment] when standing outside a burning structure,” says Dr. Vanchiere. But contaminated air travels. “Ideally, you would keep that PPE on as long as possible – even after the fire is quelled.”
In addition to better PPE use, raising awareness about the link between firefighting and heart disease is essential. CRACKYL and InsideTracker are committed to this goal, and just by reading this, you’re already helping.
The sad truth is that heart disease is the most common cause of death among just about every group of people in the United States. It kills about one out of every five people. The risk is higher for those with jobs that expose them to stress, irregular sleep, and dangerous gasses and chemicals.
Exercise, quality sleep, a heart-healthy diet and stress-reducing techniques are the bedrock of health and longevity. Firefighters, in particular, need to understand the benefits of these habits.
In one study of 10,686 people over 45, researchers calculated that heart-healthy living (diet, exercise, low body weight, etc.) could add 20 years to the average person’s life. That means your behavior between fires is as important as what you do during a fire. By keeping yourself fit, you’ll help manage your risk for heart disease.
In InsideTracker’s research, first responders who used the company’s platform and received personalized health recommendations improved nearly every critical marker of heart health. More than half of those who tested their blood at least twice, more than half improved total cholesterol, triglycerides and/or hsCRP.
And 65% of them improved their heart-healthy HDL cholesterol.
These improvements tell a powerful story. They represent a path to health for firefighters who want to protect themselves from the hazards of the job, and they show how personalized health can dramatically reduce the risk of a heart attack or similar event.
This sponsored content originally appeared within the Fall 2024 issue. View the full issue here, or browse all back issues in the CRACKYL Library.
