This is from the article, Seven Jobs That Will Make You Sick. Notice that Firefighters are at high risk of heart attacks, in part, because of the psycholigcal stress they endure when fighting fires.
This caught my eye especially because when I was a teenager, my best friend’s was the Chief of Police in a small town in Washington State. He died from a heart attack while fighting a fire.
At any rate, all first responders are at risk from stress related illnesses including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). And, of course, EMDR can help reduce the stress and stress related memories.
5. Firefighters
> Risk: heart attack
> Cause: physical and psychological stress, exposure to toxic elements
> Median annual wage: $45,520
It is not fire or smoke inhalation that is the number one irregular cause of death among firefighters, but heart attacks. When fighting a fire, the chance that a firefighter will have a heart attack increases up to 100 times the normal rate. Even when they aren’t fighting fires, firefighters are at a higher risk of heart attack, a report from Harvard School of Public Health shows. Risk of heart attack is increased for firefighters when they respond to an alarm, return from an incident, or engage in physical activity, including training. The occupation of firefighter, by nature, entails dealing with extreme heat, exposure to toxic substances, and causes high levels of psychological and physiological stress.
Read more: Seven Jobs That Will Make You Sick – 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2011/09/01/seven-jobs-that-will-make-you-sick/#ixzz1XB6w7ScG