NVFC Health Screenings

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The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is setting up interactive Heart-Healthy Program booths at state fire conferences in Nebraska, New York, Oregon and North Carolina to show firefighters how they can live a healthier lifestyle.

"We are doing this to get the word out about health and fitness and staying healthy. The first step in making changes is creating awareness and trying to get people to take preventative steps and actions," explains Lillian Ricardo the Health & Safety Project Coordinator for the NVFC.

There are several free offerings at their Heart-Healthy Program booth. One is a non-fasting cholesterol screening. A technician pricks a finger, a small amount of blood is put into a machine, and five minutes later the results are ready.

"A new component to the booth this year is the Wii Fitness Challenge," Ricardo said.

There are two Wii's according to Ricardo, "One will have the Wii Fit and the other will have a Wii Sports to sort of feed into the competitive spirit of first responders."

The Wii Fit will also calculate a person's Body Mass Index (BMI) which is the amount of body fat a person has. On the Wii Sport, visitors can try their hand at several different sports games. They are fun but also show how important exercise is to overall heart health.

The NVFC is also offering another, more detailed, way to help firefighters get healthy.

"We're also doing a Health and Wellness Advocate Workshop which is a free, two day workshop on how to build a health and wellness program at your fire department," Ricardo said. 

The workshops are free. The only requirement is that attendees register in advance and commit to attend all of the two-day workshops.

Firefighters can take advantage of the Heart-Healthy Program booths an the Health & Wellness Advocate Workshops at these upcoming conferences: 

•    Nebraska State Fire School, Grand Island, NE, May 21-23   
•    New York State Association of Fire Chiefs Annual Conference & Expo, Verona, NY, June 9-12   
•    Oregon Volunteer Firefighters Association Conference, Hermiston, OR, June 21-25   
•    North Carolina State Firemen's Association Conference, Raleigh, NC, August 13-14

The NVFC will also be attending four other trade shows where they will feature information on all their programs.  Those shows are:
•    FDIC, Indianapolis, IN, April 19-24   
•    Fire Expo, Harrisburg, PA, May 21-23   
•    Firehouse Expo, Baltimore, MD, July 20-25   
•    Fire-Rescue International, Chicago, IL, August 24-28

The health and safety of all firefighters is one of the priorities of the National Volunteer Fire Council. Through their Hearth-Healthy Firefighter Program they strive to reduce the number of firefighter deaths from heart attack, the leading cause of firefighter fatalities.

For more information on the NVFC, their Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program, or to sign up for an upcoming workshop visit, www.nvfc.org.


Author:Barbara Brooks - FDNNTV.com