That also means they are not fit for service in our communities as first responders. The Cooper Institute wants to help raise kids that are healthy and strong enough for any kind of service abroad or at home as uniformed personnel, like our first responders. Physical fitness assessments, like FitnessGram by The Cooper Institute, create healthy habits early to make sure our young adults are ready for service and ready for life.
Keeping first responders healthy on the job is another goal. A recent report from the American Heart Association showed that cardiac arrest is the leading cause of job-related deaths among firefighters and the majority of those had underlying heart disease.
“Dallas Fire and Rescue is concerned about the prevalence of heart disease and cardiac arrest among firefighters,” said Dallas Fire and Rescue Chief Dominique Artis. “We encourage fitness and healthy habits for all of our employees by supporting on-duty physical fitness training, doing physical fitness and body composition assessments, offering peer fitness and nutrition counseling, and requiring participation in a wellness exam and physical every three years for members assigned to the Emergency Response Bureau.”
The Dallas Police Department shares this concern about the physical fitness and health of Dallas’ children and what it means for future recruiting efforts.
“They are the future of this police department and they are our prospective police officers,” said Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall. “We have programs in place that encourage physical fitness and community engagement with our youth and we are committed to expanding those efforts.”
Health and wellness is the foundation for building a stronger, safer Dallas. Both Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue are committed to keeping their people safe, healthy and active while looking out for the health and safety of future first responders.
It’s also our vision at The Cooper Institute – to build a healthy and safe world and workforce through prevention, physical activity and healthy living.