Long Island, NY, comprises two counties: Nassau and Suffolk. The volunteer fire service of Nassau and Suffolk consists of approximately 20,590 volunteer firefighters from 79 departments. During routine physical examinations at Long Island firehouses between September 2006 and December 2006, the primary investigator (P.S.) distributed and collected surveys from firefighters as they waited to be examined. The Institutional Review Board at Kansas University School of Medicine-Wichita approved the use of human subjects.
Although the 19-item volunteer firefighter survey was not validated, it was developed based on methods and findings produced from a literature review.
13-16 It included six demographic questions: sex, age, weight (in pounds), height (in feet and inches), years in the fire service, and type of firefighter (interior, exterior, emergency medical services, or fire police).
Other items focused on medical history, current medications, physician follow-up, personal health insurance, cigarette use, alcohol consumption, and exercise. The firefighters were asked to express their level of interest (ie, “definitely interested,” “somewhat interested,” or “definitely not interested”) and current behaviors regarding fitness programs, proper diet, and reduction of heart attack risk. They were also asked to identify from four choices the major cause of death among firefighters nationwide: automobile accidents, burns, heart attacks, or smoke inhalation.