By Brian Demarest, Special to Everyday Health
All of us who are firefighters know that it’s a dangerous job. We carry about 70 pounds of clothing and equipment into hot buildings where smoke makes it hard to see. But I never thought my job could lead to a heart attack.
In 2007, a firefighter in Albany, New York, died from a heart attack while responding to an emergency call. That struck a nerve — especially since I was turning 40 that year. I learned then that for firefighters, heart attack is the No. 1 cause of death following a fire. A local college even did a study of firefighters and this phenomenon.
I got thinking about what I could do to stay in shape myself, and maybe get other firefighters to pay more attention to their health. I came up with the idea to hold a 5K run, and have fire companies compete against each other. Since this came from news about heart attacks, I thought it would be appropriate to donate the money we raised to the American Heart Association (AHA). Over the years, we’ve donated $33,000 to the AHA.
Our ‘Run 4 Your Life’ Races
This year will be the sixth anniversary of the race, called Run 4 Your Life.
We had about 240 participants in our first year, and 800 last year. Walkers can also join in, and we have a kids’ fun run every year. One year, the race was before Easter, and the Easter Bunny came. Last year, we had a ChowderFest as part of the day. We also had a Recliner to 5K Challenge for firefighters who weighed at least 225 pounds. This year, the race is scheduled for March 28, 2015, in Schenectady, New York.
All of the firefighters compete against each other’s companies. The prize for the fastest fire company is a fire-emitting trophy shaped like a helmet. But you don’t have to be a firefighter to compete, and people come from all over to participate.
My mantra is: I’m running for your life, but the life I save might be my own. When I think about the AHA’s Life is Why campaign, my answer to why I do the Run 4 Your Life race is this: Firefighters’ lives are why.
Brian Demarest, Firefighter Lieutenant in the Schenectady Fire Department, shown with his wife Sandy above, lives in Schenectady, New York.