Posts Tagged peer fitness trainer program

Plainfield Fire Protection District news (more)

Excerpts from the Heraldnews.com:

The Plainfield Fire Protection District headquarters parking lot was full of vehicles this week from all over the country. Firefighters met there to get certified in the fire service Peer Fitness Trainer program, designed for firefighters. With that certification, they can return to their respective districts and train others.

The International Association of Firefighters and International Association of Fire Chiefs Task Force agree that to successfully implement their Wellness/Fitness Initiative, there must be a firefighter in each department who can take the lead. Plainfield currently has three certified.

Each Friday, Plainfield focuses on fitness and nutrition in its firehouses. “We found that in Plainfield, when we do our workouts and we incorporate an entire fire company into it, that the team-building aspect of working out together really raised the camaraderie,” said Plainfield Lt. Andy Scott.

Toronto Fire Department Capt. Alex Boersma and retired New York City Fire Department Lt. Tom Grimshaw instructed the class. Boersma said he teaches five or six Peer Fitness Trainer classes a year.

A key goal of the program is to reduce occupational claims and costs while improving the quality and longevity of a firefighter’s life.

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Plainfield Fire Protection District news

Excerpts from MySuburbanLife.com:

The Plainfield Fire Protection District is welcoming instructors from Toronto and New York City to lead a peer trainer fitness program.

The district, along with the International Association of Fire Fighters Plainfield chapter and Paramedics Local 4560, is hosting the certification program, which is designed to help reduce time lost due to both on-the-job and off-duty illness and injury.

The peer fitness trainer program is part of the broader Wellness-Fitness Initiative, which was spearheaded by the IAFF in partnership with the International Association of Fire Chiefs. It was developed to address firefighter medical, behavioral health and fitness issues.

Plainfield Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Jon Stratton said the fire chiefs association has pushed the program for years, but Plainfield Lt. Andy Scott asked whether it could be brought to Plainfield.

The voluntary class was filled with about 30 firefighters from Plainfield and other departments. The district is thinking about hosting another one in the fall.

The five-day course uses the latest research on firefighter health and wellness, exercise science and the prevention of injuries to improve the effectiveness of firefighters in meeting the needs of the community.

Plainfield has sent firefighters to Indianapolis to become trainers for a different wellness program. Those individuals then trained different shifts within the district. Plainfield will have several of its own participating in this program.

Firefighters who are certified as peer fitness trainers get to design and implement fitness programs, improve the wellness and fitness of their departments/districts and can assist in the physical training of recruits. The accredited exam is administered by the American Council on Exercise.

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