News - Local News

POSTED: Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

Bellingham, N. Whatcom firefighters train for physical rigors of job

While most Whatcom County residents were commuting to work Friday morning, Oct. 30, 10 Bellingham Fire Department firefighters were refining physical skills they'll use the next time an alarm sounds.

Tucked away in a room toward the back of Bellingham Athletic Club, on Cornwall Avenue, the firefighters completed 20 minutes of intense physical exercise designed to train their bodies for the short bursts of energy they need fighting fires or transporting injured patients.

The training is part of a 108-day challenge the department and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue are participating in, said Bellingham Fire Capt. Christian Carson. The challenge began Oct. 21 and lasts until Jan. 21.

About 65 Bellingham firefighters, captains and chiefs are participating, Carson said.

North Whatcom has 26 people participating in workouts in its three stations, said Kelly LaBounty, the agency's health and wellness coordinator.

LaBounty said firefighters' bodies are often at rest as they wait to respond to a fire alarm or aid call, and then must be prepared for intense physical exertion.

"They're up and they're gone, and they have to maintain that physical level," LaBounty said. "You have to go zero to 60 really fast."

In such high-stress situations, it's natural for the body to raise the heart rate and blood pressure, which can rise to unhealthy levels or even cause heart attacks, Carson said.

"When that tone goes off, you have an adrenaline dump," Carson said. "Heart attacks are a big killer for firefighters. This program helps us adapt and just perform better."

The program focuses on improving firefighters' movement and their ability to retain use of all of their motor skills in high stress and physically taxing situations. It's also intended to improve their respiratory systems, so they'll make better use of their oxygen tanks inside a burning building.

The challenge also monitors diet, and is broken up between days and levels of intensity. One day, for example, will focus on joint flexibility and stretching. Other days, such as Friday, the workout's intensity increases.

After warm-up activities, the firefighters had to complete 20 one-minute drills that focused on working out a different set of muscles. For one stage, they had to lift a weight over each shoulder while going from a squatting position to a standing one. For another, they had to grab onto rings while in a push-up position and thrust themselves up.

If they finished in under a minute, they had more time to rest. If not, they had to go right into the next stage.

"These workouts are all about burst and recovery," Carson said. "These things train you to work as firefighters."