From USA Today: Exercise is meant to help prevent injuries, but firefighters are more likely to be injured while working out than while combating fires, according to a new study.

The study examined injuries reported between 2004 and 2009 among 650 firefighters, paramedics, engineers, inspectors and battalion chiefs in Tucson, Ariz. The average age of participants was 41, and 95% were males.

The average yearly incidence of new injuries was 17.7 per 100 employees, and most of the injuries occurred to those in their 30s and 40s. Exercise-related injuries accounted for one-third of the total, 17% occurred while transporting patients, and about 10% occurred during training drills, the investigators found.

Sprains and strains accounted for between 40% and 85% of injuries, followed by cuts and bruising. Most (95%) of the injuries were minor. Only 10% of injuries occurred during firefighting, but a higher percentage of these were serious. Strains and sprains suffered while transporting patients accounted for nearly half of the injury-related time taken off work.