Yesterday’s on-duty death of HFD Sr. Captain Thomas “Bill” Dillion (49) to a heart attack underscores a little realized factor of firefighting – the role of stress in the high stakes job. Ranked as among the most stressful professions in the nation, it is one where officers have to “move from zero-to-110mph in a very short period of time,” as Chief Garrison put it. (Click for KHOU 11 video below)
As mentioned in the KHOU-11 report (above) recent studies by Harvard academics have shown that heart attack are the largest non-fire related cause of death among fire-fighters. And some of the factors happen away from the job if the officer is not looking out enough for their health home. But even when on-duty the cumulative impact of years of heat, exertion and possible exposure to toxic substances adds-up.
These facts, plus deaths in the Texas just since September 2001, have caused the state department of insurance to create an eye-opening public health alert that was circulated among professional and volunteer fire departments in recent years. (Click for PDF)
