Changing Attitudes

In the area of fitness, EMS personnel have a bad reputation. This reputation wasn’t given to us by others, but earned through our own actions. To a lot of people, even the acronym EMS reflects our bad image. What exactly does EMS stand for? Is it earn money sleeping or eat more slop? Maybe it even stands for extra mayo and sauce.

A large portion of our reputation was earned through a poor image. Look around at EMS providers, and you’ll see a lot of large bellies, waddling gaits and chronic back and knee problems. The old-timers make fun of the newbies who wear utility belts full of gadgets. Perhaps these old-timers are jealous because their belts no longer fit. Give the new guy time. A steady diet of long shifts, large donuts and lots of television will force him to get rid of the belt.

Seeing this problem grow worse each year, the administration at the Surfside Beach Rescue Squad (SBRS) in South Carolina decided to make a change. SBRS is an all-volunteer ALS service with several technical-rescue teams. Being a volunteer service means the administration couldn’t mandate physical fitness requirements. If it did, most volunteers would decide to sit at home rather than volunteering their time at the squad. The trick was to make them want to get in shape. Motivating a large group of unfit EMS workers to exercise is a daunting task, so SBRS leaders decided to attack it from several angles.

A Place to Work Out

One major project the squad tackled was finding a place for personnel to exercise. A survey of local gym facilities determined that SBRS couldn’t afford to pay memberships for all personnel, even with substantial public-safety discounts offered by the facilities. Members were also unwilling or unable to pay for their own gym memberships.

The most economical solution was to provide a small gym on premises. The only problem was that there was no money in the operating budget for this expense. By advertising in a free newspaper section called Saturday Swap, the assistant chief put the word out that the squad was looking for donated exercise equipment. The ad was a success: Over the next two weeks, SBRS was inundated with new and used equipment. So many pieces were donated that the squad gave extra items to other volunteer rescue squads. The administration finally had to start refusing equipment. At no cost to the squad, it had assembled a full range of cardiovascular machines, free weights, abdominal machines, and weightlifting machines. A storage room was reconfigured as the new gym.

The next hurdle was making members want to use the facility.

Physical Fitness Challenge

The squad decided to institute an achievement program whereby members were eligible for prizes, including trips and money. While the program encompassed many categories, physical fitness made up the majority of them. Separate categories were established for smoking cessation, time spent in the gym, weight loss and a physical fitness challenge. Members receive points for positive actions in those categories. At the end of the year, points will be totaled from all categories to decide the winners.

The first physical fitness challenge (PFC) will be held at the end of 2004. The PFC was modeled after the U.S. Army physical fitness test. It consists of a 1½-mile run/walk, push-ups and sit-ups. It’s a fun way to set benchmarks for each member to gauge his fitness level.

Since specialized rescue teams go above and beyond standard squad membership duties, it was easier to mandate minimum fitness levels for these teams than for the general membership. The squad’s primary technical area is aquatic rescue. It was decided that persons on the aquatic-rescue team would be required to be certified lifeguards in addition to their other training requirements. Lifeguard qualification requires an arduous physical test. To pass, each person must swim, unaided, a distance of 500 meters, in addition to demonstrating various other skills such as retrieving objects underwater and treading water. Almost all members failed to pass this test on their first attempt.

Conclusion

The physical fitness and wellness program at the Surfside Beach Rescue Squad has been a huge success. Several members have gone on to greater endeavors, such as marathons and long-distance bicycle races. Many of the members also exercise regularly in order to pass swim qualifications each year for the aquatic rescue team.

EMS has a long history of poor fitness, but that can be changed. The trick is to make responders want to look and feel better. In addition, EMS personnel can look at efforts made within fire departments to increase fitness among their own personnel. Remember, it’s never too late to get in shape.