Cardiovascular disease is the number-one killer of firefighters nationwide and is by far the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths in the fire service.

According to the International Association of Firefighters, more than 12 percent of all firefighters will develop heart disease at some point in their lives. Even young and healthy firefighters suffer from hardened arteries and impaired heart function after just three hours of prolonged firefighting, according to a 2010 study from the Illinois Fire Service Institute.

So how can you be a more heart-healthy firefighter this year for yourself, your department and your loved ones ? Below are six places to start:

1. Commit to a Healthy Diet

Eating a diet rich in whole foods, lean proteins and vegetables can be one of the biggest influencers on improving your heart health. The first step to pursuing a healthy diet is educating yourself on what constitutes as a healthy dish and how you can prepare it. Check out our Chef Marshall O’Brien trainings for resources that can help you pursue nutrition and that are specifically catered toward firefighters. Finally, explore the tracking applications available on your phone or smart devices that will allow you to document your eating habits, improve portion control and food selections.

2. Get Moving

Working out regularly has so many benefits, but even 30 minutes of exercise 3-4 times per week can help you lose weight, improve cholesterol, and even lower your blood pressure substantially. Commit to get moving at least a couple times per week and your heart will thank you. For those who already maintain a physical activity regimen, try incorporating some high intensity interval training that mimics firefighting duties on a weekly basis to improve your readiness for the extreme physical challenge of the job. Strength training is also a critical element of physical readiness for firefighters because muscular fitness and capacity reduces cardiovascular demand.

3. Find Healthy Ways to Manage Your Stress

Traumatic stress can also increase your risk of heart attack. A study from the University of California – San Francisco found that even limited exposure to trauma can boost inflammation in the body, a key risk factor for heart disease. Finding healthy ways to manage your stress and reduce the effects of the trauma firefighters experience everyday will be key to keeping your cardiovascular system strong. Look into methods like meditation, regular exercise or therapy to support your emotional wellness, and ultimately, improve your physical health.

4. Commit to Quit Smoking

With the cardiovascular stress already inflicted on firefighters, smoking can be especially detrimental to your health. The chemicals in cigarettes are proven to cause the cells that line your blood vessels to be swollen and inflamed. This causes the blood vessels to narrow and can result in multiple life-threatening cardiovascular issues, including stroke, coronary heart disease and aortic aneurysms. It’s never too late to quit, and the sooner you do, the better off your heart will be for it. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW and work with a trained coach who can partner with you on a plan to kick the habit.

5. Sleep

Sleep also plays a crucial role in limiting cardiac issues. If firefighters do not get enough quality sleep, resting metabolic rates decrease and cause weight gain, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. It’s critical to maintain work schedules – by providing proper staffing – and allow firefighters to get enough sleep in order to help prevent cardiac disease.

6. Be an Advocate for Heart Health in Your Firehouse

Changing the culture of your firehouse to promote heart health can be helpful not only for your own personal wellness, but also for your firefighting colleagues. Small actions like swapping a donut spread for a healthier alternative, inviting others into fitness challenges, removing ash trays and leading through example can really go a long way in changing your department’s culture toward wellness and heart health.

Minnesota musician Larry Long was inspired to write “Firefighter” – along with Eden Prairie’s retired-fire chief (and current MnFIRE president) George Esbensen – after he accompanied firefighters on a call to a business fire.

“While on that fire run I was so deeply struck by the brave and hardworking people that save our lives daily. The firefighter filled with ‘Duty, Honor, and Courage’ represents everything worth standing up and striving for as a nation,” said Long. “When I discovered the high rate of heart disease, cancer and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among firefighters, I felt the calling to write ‘Firefighter’. For there’s no better time than now to urge policymakers to give all that it might take for us to support the physical and emotional well-being of those who serve us.”

“Firefighter (Duty, Honor, Courage),” was written with MnFIRE as an anthem for the state’s firefighters as the 2020 legislative session begins and the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program (SF2264 and HF1782) is up for consideration once again.

Firefighter (Duty, Honor, Courage) Lyrics

Here’s to the people who put out the fires
Fall into line seem never to tire
In helmets of red, white, yellow, and black

When they go in might never come back
Falling in line when danger appears
Giving their life year after year
With a pre-connect as a life line
Never to leave their buddy behind

Duty, Honor, Courage

We are in trouble down here
There’s blood in the dirt
Looking up at the sky
For help on this earth

Friends, neighbors, and family
Heart disease, cancer, PTSD
For firefighters they’re the big three
Burning out the lives we hold dear

Duty, Honor, Courage

We cannot summon the rain
Nor make the wind blow
But we can raise up a fire
There’s no place like home

They say there’s no money it’s really no will
To knock out the demons that so often kills
The firefighter who can’t get no slack
From policymakers who don’t have their back

Duty, Honor, Courage

Firefighter crawling through flames
Firefighter each of whom has a name
Firefighter might be your life they save
Firefighter
Firefighter above a crib
Firefighter now holding him
Firefighter when the candle dims
Firefighter
Firefighter needs somebody who
Firefighter that they can turn to
Firefighter may that someone be you

Words & Music by Larry Long
Copyright Larry Long Publishing 2020 / BMI

Lyrics written in partnership with Ret. Fire Chief George Esbensen; President of MnFire

Firefighter (Duty, Honor, Courage)
Larry Long & American Roots Revue

Larry Long – Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar
J.D. Steele, Robert Robinson, Tonia Hughes – Support Vocals
Billy Steele – Piano
George Parrish – Electric Guitar
Yonathan Bekure – Bass
Daryl Boudreaux – Percussion
Brian Kendrick – Drums
Joe Savage – Pedal Steel

Studio & Mixing Engineers: Steve Wiese & Miles Hanson
Recorded at Creation Audio Studio A; Minneapolis, Minnesota

© all rights reserved

Download the song here:

A lot of people talk about wanting to forget 2020 ever happened, but for MnFIRE, there’s at least one thing created this year we want to keep with us as we move forward: the powerful anthem designed to call attention to our mission.

In January, the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (MnFIRE) and American singer-songwriter Larry Long partnered to release a song that highlights the need to do more to protect the health of Minnesota’s firefighters. The song, called “Firefighter (Duty, Honor, Courage),” was written with MnFIRE as an anthem for the state’s firefighters as the 2020 legislative session kicked off and the Hometown Heroes Assistance Program (SF2264 and HF1782) was up for consideration. A few weeks later, Long and the American Roots Revue launched a moving music video for the song, which features real images from some of our state’s largest fire calls in recent years.

With the lyrics, “They say there’s no money it’s really no will//To knock out the demons that so often kills//The firefighter who can’t get no slack//From policymakers who don’t have their back,” the song and video were created with an eye toward Minnesota legislators, who will once again consider a bill in early 2021 that promises real change for firefighters facing these health issues. The Hometown Heroes Assistance Program would establish a much-needed statewide appropriations of funds to help those firefighters facing cardiac, emotional trauma and cancer diagnoses.

Minnesota musician Long – an accomplished troubadour and Smithsonian Folkways recording artist – was inspired to write “Firefighter” – along with MnFIRE president George Esbensen – after he accompanied firefighters on a call to a business fire.

“While on that fire run, I was so deeply struck by the brave and hardworking people that save our lives daily. The firefighter filled with ‘Duty, Honor, and Courage’ represents everything worth standing up and striving for as a nation,” said Long. “When I discovered the high rate of heart disease, cancer and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among firefighters, I felt the calling to write ‘Firefighter.’ For there’s no better time than now to urge policymakers to give all that it might take for us to support the physical and emotional well-being of those who serve us.”

2020 has indeed been a tough year, so if you’re looking for some inspiration and an amazing tribute to our state’s fire service, you can view the video and download a free copy of the song HERE.

As we’re looking ahead to the next legislative session in early 2021, the disparity between fire service spending in Minnesota versus nearly every other state continues to put our hometown heroes in danger.

Minnesota ranks 48th in the nation in per-capita fire service spending, despite being the 21st most populous state and 12th largest in area. Critical funding shortages throughout Minnesota departments make it difficult for fire service leaders to prioritize firefighter health measures and equipment, such as department-wide health checkups, gear-cleaning tools and mental health resources.

All public decision-makers, from the State Capitol to city halls, must make the Minnesota fire service a funding priority, not simply to protect the lives and property of Minnesotans, but to give firefighters the help they need to stay healthy and optimally productive in service to their communities.

MnFIRE is currently lobbying Minnesota legislators for $7.3 million to start moving the needle toward appropriate funding for firefighter health. The Hometown Heroes Assistance Program (SF2264 and HF1782) will ensure all of Minnesota’s 20,000 firefighters have access to the care needed to handle a cardiac, emotional trauma or cancer diagnosis. The Hometown Heroes Assistance Program will:

• Provide a statewide “Critical Care” policy for all Minnesota firefighters which covers diagnoses of cancer or cardiac issues. Coverage amount is $30,000 per diagnosis.
• Create a MnFIRE Assistance Program (MnAP) for all Minnesota firefighters targeting emotional trauma issues unique to the fire service.
• Ensure additional MnFIREAP support for firefighters who remain in need beyond initial treatment sessions.
• Support ongoing annual MnFIRE Awareness training for every Minnesota firefighter. Changing the current culture in the Minnesota Fire Service is integral to long-term reduction of the incidences of cancer, emotional trauma and cardiac.
• Sustain annual MnFIRE Awareness Training for medical doctors and mental health professionals statewide so all firefighters in Minnesota have regional access to informed and trained medical professionals to help with prevention, mitigation, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiac and emotional trauma.

We must confront the health issues facing Minnesota’s fire service with the same bravery, determination and commitment our firefighters bring to protecting Minnesotans.