FY2019 Arlington Fire Department Annual Report FY 2019 | Page 38

Firefighter Health & Safety
Firefighters face extreme physical demands on the job. In fact, the biggest danger to
these workers is not their safety, but their health. Those demands leave firefighters
susceptible to developing hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity. It also
puts them at higher risk for both heart attacks and cancer. According to the National
Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 43 percent of firefighter deaths are caused by
overexertion and stress.
Due to these risks, the Arlington Fire Department began providing annual medical and
physical screening exams in the mid-1980s. The physical examination tests firefighters
with a series of physical tests. The specific exercises are up to each department
but NFPA 1582 and NFPA 1583 outline which aspects of performance need to be
measured. Areas that are tested by AFD’s contractor, Huguley Assessment Center,
include aerobic capacity, body composition, muscular endurance and flexibility.
The medical testing performed as suggested
by NFPA 1582 includes:
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Blood Analysis
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Urinalysis
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Pulmonary Function Test
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EKG
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Infectious Disease Screening
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Audiometric Exam
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Vision Testing
health & safety Captain
john yovanovitch
Upon successful completion of the annual physical, firefighters are
rated on a 1 to 6 scale. 1 (Superior), 2 (Excellent), 3 (Good), 4 (Fair), 5
(Poor), 6 (Very Poor).
2019 arboviral season
In 2013, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) changed its recommendation as to the type of prompt that
jurisdictions should use for targeted ground spraying for West Nile Virus (WNV) from the identification
of a human case to that of a mosquito trap where a mosquito has tested positive for WNV. The intent
of this change was to implement a more proactive policy where targeted ground spraying takes place
in the areas around a positive trap rather than reacting to the identification of a human WNV case.
Since 2013, the City has seen a downward trend in human cases in Arlington. In 2019, Arlington reported ZERO
human WNV cases, down from 10 in 2015, which is a significant decrease from 66 cases 2012.
Positive Trap Results
38
City of Arlington 0
Tarrant County 13
Collin County 0
Dallas County 35
Denton County 4