A few months ago, I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal about “broken-heart syndrome,” a condition in which intense emotional or physical stress causes rapid and severe heart-muscle weakness that feels like a heart attack. Symptoms — sudden chest pain, shortness of breath or low blood pressure — can begin within minutes or as much as a few hours after being exposed to severe, unexpected stress. The surge of stress hormones temporarily enlarges part of the heart, a condition called cardiomyopathy.
Every year, the U.S. Fire Administration reports that 50% of firefighters who died in the line of duty did so from heart attacks or stress-related illness. More than half of these firefighters had pre-existing heart conditions, including coronary artery disease, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In fact, the World Health Organization estimates one in four Americans have high blood pressure, and of those one-third don't know it.
“Stress-related” can cover a variety of illnesses, and if there's one thing fire chiefs have is stress. Chiefs today share the same concerns over budgets, staffing and liability as their predecessors did 20 years ago, but also face newer issues of the post-9/11 world. The prestigious position has become so stressful that many captains and battalion chiefs refuse to take the promotional exam.
Last month, a grief-stricken firefighter phoned me to talk about his fire chief. As we spoke, he shared a story that I hear far too often: A dedicated fire chief spent his life committed to his department and community, only to die before his time.
The firefighter and others I've spoken to described Mount Horeb (Wis.) Chief Chuck Himsel as a larger-than-life individual who was devoted to training firefighters. He was the lead instructor of the Madison Area Technical College's fire program and even helped start a fire academy in North Dakota.
Last year, community debates over fire-department equipment and staffing turned heated and Himsel was suspended. He fought to clear his name and was reinstated after three months. Two days later — on what would have been his 32nd anniversary of being appointed chief — Himsel collapsed while talking on the telephone to another chief and died.
Himsel died from an apparent heart attack, but the firefighter who called me said he believed that Himsel died of a broken heart caused by the “witch hunt” in his hometown. Politics always have been a challenge, but compounded by the stress of the current economy, politics can be deadly. The firefighter wanted to know if he could nominate Himsel posthumously for chief of the year.
Too many fire chiefs put their hearts and souls into their jobs, even though that's not listed as a requirement for the position. FIRE CHIEF honors those individuals with its Fire Chief of the Year Awards. The 15th annual awards will be presented at Fire-Rescue International in Chicago, Aug. 26-29. Take time to honor a fire chief who has had an impact on your department or career. View all the nomination information.
There are many ways to honor someone even after he's gone, but perhaps the best time is to an honor individual is while he is still alive.
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