Knowing that 50% of firefighter fatalities are caused by heart or stress-related illness, I found a recent Chicago Sun-Times article about a study printed in the New England Journal of Medicine very interesting. The study found that vehicle exhaust not only causes long-term health problems, but also may trigger heart attacks.

The author of the study in Neuherberg, Germany, said researchers asked nearly 700 patients what they were doing in the hours before their heart attack. They discovered that patients were three times as likely to have been in traffic during the hour before the attack than someplace else. "The culprit probably isn't stress, but particles spewed by cars and trucks," the study said.

This could be worth taking into consideration, not only for ventilation systems in fire stations but for on-scene pump operators and those around apparatus.

Also on the topic of health, recently the German Township (Ind.) Volunteer Fire Department passed along a copy of its newsletter. It included an article about stroke I had also received from my doctor, who said it was from the American Stroke Association's annual meeting in February. At the meeting, researchers' announced that non-medical bystanders could make a difference by early identification of the signs of stroke: facial weakness, arm weakness, and speech problems. It's worth sharing:

Is It a Stroke?

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say any bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

• Ask the individual to smile.
• Ask him or her to raise both arms.
• Ask the person to speak a simple sentence.
  

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. Time-to-treatment is the most critical element in preventing long-term damage from the stroke.

Pass it along. Remember, "Everybody Goes Home" means watching out for firefighter health, too.

Janet Wilmoth, Editor