Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff addressed the 2006 Office of Grants & Training National Conference in Washington, D.C., late last year. Although I believe that Chertoff is usually pretty straightforward and appears to be a bright spot amid the clouds over the nation's capital, I was struck in the sternum by one sentence in his keynote address.

Chertoff said there always will be people trying to finagle grant money from the government by stretching the definition of "homeland security" efforts. To that end, DHS would be doing more to track how grant monies are used.

"And that, by the way, gives us a better ability to hold people accountable for the way they actually spend the money," he said, "so we have fewer of those stories about leather jackets and gym equipment that I think we all remember reading after the first round of grants went out early in the period after 9/11."

Doesn't Chertoff see the connection between physical fitness and firefighting? This disconnect isn't limited to the federal government. A Pennsylvania women's organization is suing the local fire department for using the organization's donation to buy fitness equipment rather than hoses or nozzles. The ladies thought the fire department's purchase was frivolous, declaring that "it was a fire department, not a health club."

Fitness equipment may be a low priority if a department doesn't have boots or turnout gear, but it certainly should be considered a must-have for departments that are otherwise well-equipped. Perhaps Chertoff and others haven't seen the recently released National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health reports on 2006 line-of-duty deaths:

• A 54-year-old male career fire apparatus operator died after responding to 12 calls. The death certificate listed "cardiac dysrhythmia due to atherosclerotic coronary artery disease" as the cause of death. The NIOSH investigator concluded the physical stress of responding to 12 calls, including tree limb removal, and the presence of his underlying atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease probably contributed to the operator's sudden cardiac death.
• A 49-year-old Pennsylvania firefighter died after performing overhaul at a fire in a 3-story dwelling. The death certificate listed "arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease" as the cause of death and "hypertensive cardiomyopathy" as a significant condition. The NIOSH investigator concluded that the physical stress of conducting fire suppression, coupled with the firefighter's underlying cardiovascular disease, contributed to sudden cardiac death.
• A 39-year-old career airport fire apparatus operator in Georgia suffered sudden cardiac death at his station after exercising. The death certificate lists his immediate cause of death as "Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome due to an acute myocardial infarction." The autopsy revealed a massive myocardial infarction.
• A 47-year-old male career battalion chief suffered sudden cardiac death at his desk. The autopsy revealed an enlarged heart with left ventricular hypertrophy and 50%-75% occlusions of the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries. The death certificate listed "atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease" as the immediate cause of death.
• A 28-year-old male volunteer Kansas firefighter suffered sudden cardiac death 50 minutes after fighting a grass fire. The autopsy stated the cause of death was "probable heritable cardiac arrhythmia (Brugada Syndrome)."

The health benefits of exercise are proven. Some may argue that being physically fit for your job — whatever it may be — is a personal responsibility, but encouraging healthy lifestyles and exercise for a profession that entails physical and mental stress makes sense.

Which is cheaper? Exercise bands and equipment, or payouts for disability and line-of-duty death benefits?