Heart Burn

While firefighters face smoke and flames, something more dangerous can be lurking around the corner.

???A recent UB study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that firefighters were more likely to experience heart problems than die in the line of duty.???

Mary Carey, an assistant professor at the School of Nursing, developed a study to learn more about this hazard for firefighters.

???Firefighters are at a higher risk for a cardiac incident than any of the other first responders, according to Carey. This is due to many factors including the environment and the burden of firefighting gear creates.

???Firefighters must carry tanks, a breathing apparatus, and other equipment that can be significantly heavier than the load of other first responders.

???Firefighters are an aging group, according to Carey. The average age of a firefighter is 40 years old with the youngest being around 30 years old.

???The study in the New England Journal of Medicine argues that the heart-related incidents occur not only while the firefighter is on call, but during other activities around the firehouse or after work hours.

???Carey received a grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research for $411,539 over two years. According to Carey, the money is necessary due to the number of people in the study and the equipment needed.

???Carey will be going to about 12 different firehouses around the Buffalo area and studying almost 120 randomly chosen professional firefighters.

???The first major step of the study is the initial stress test. Volunteers will be strapped into the electrocardiogram (ECG), which they will wear for 24 hours.

???"The monitoring will begin at the start of their shift, and usually the shifts last for about 16 hours," Carey said. "They will keep the monitor on for a full 24 hours, which includes the shift plus when they go home and relax; that way post-call is monitored as well."

???At the end of the monitoring period, participants will return their ECG and will be compensated for their efforts with a $60 gift card from Tops Friendly Markets.

???Carey hopes the readings from the ECG will show different elements of stress that firefighters experience on-duty as well as off, which will then be used to find a solution.

???"Participants will take a stress test on a treadmill to monitor results under controlled conditions," Carey said. "My guess is that they will all do well on the treadmill because they are cleared to work, so they are healthy people."

???However, according to Carey, the test is not a perfect measure of stress because the conditions are very different from what a firefighter would feel when on call.

???"The treadmill can't reproduce the psychological stress that's going on in people's lives," Carey said.

???Carey's hypothesis for the research is that it is more likely to see the cardiac events when the firefighters are on call rather than on the treadmill due to the environmental stress, such as the smoke inhalation, the psychological stress and the stress put upon the body by carrying the equipment.

???The study will be expanded at the end of January and will continue into the fall, which will provide Carey with time to truly capture what the firefighters' lives are like.