Heart disease in tHe fire service - West Valley City Firefighters, IAFF ...

Heart Disease in the Fire Service
cHaPter 1 • intrOductiOn
The cardiovascular system consists of
the heart and vessels (arteries, vein
and capillaries) that circulate blood
through the body. The heart continuously
pumps blood through the vessels of the
circulatory system. If the heart stops
beating and cardiopulmonary
resuscitation is not started within a few
minutes, serious brain damage and death
will occur. i Cardiovascular diseases
(CVD) are those diseases affecting the
cardiovascular system, and thus, affect the
function of the heart and/or the blood
vessels. CVD is common in the general
population and is especially important to
fire fighters and emergency medical
responders because their jobs may expose
them to unique cardiovascular risks. In
particular, fire fighting is recognized as a
hazardous occupation. ii Although many
people may assume that burns and smoke
inhalation are the cause of most fire
fighter fatalities, CVD is actually the
single most frequent cause of duty-related
fatalities. iii CVD accounts for almost half
of all on-duty fatalities and for every
on-duty death from heart disease, there
are an estimated 17 non-fatal line of duty
cardiovascular events in the U.S. fire
service. iv
Commonly, CVD is referred to as heart
or cardiac disease. As shown in Figures
1.1 and 1.2, heart disease is a major killer
of both men and women in the general
populations of the United States and in
Canada.
Even though heart or cardiac disease is a
major cause of death, it can be prevented
and treated. Moreover, increased
awareness of risk factors, such as
smoking, hypertension and high
cholesterol, and improvements in
detection, treatment, and risk factor
reduction have resulted in a decrease in
cardiovascular mortality since 1980. vii,viii
Recent cardiovascular mortality trends
from the United States and Canada are
presented in Figures 1.3 and 1.4.
Figure 1.1 v
Figure 1.2 vi
1