COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — Firefighters lead by example at Unified Fire Authority’s Station 110 in Cottonwood Heights for Heart Health Month, according to UFA public information officer Benjamin Porter.
“There's a big culture shift in the fire service in the last ten to 15 years where people are prioritizing that component of the job, keeping your heart healthy, staying active, keeping your stress as low as possible,” he said.
Between calls, the first responders make time for exercising and cooking healthy meals full of protein, fruits and vegetables.
“Cardiac health is super important,” said Joey Grimm. “Your heart is kind of what keeps everything running in your body, along with your brain. If your heart stops perfusing, your brain stops perfusing.”
It’s important to listen to your body, even if you’ve never had heart issues, said Grimm.
“Early activation of 911 is super important,” he said. “A lot of the times we respond to calls where someone's had chest pain for three or four days, and that's a problem, because the longer your heart is blocked, you the more tissue dies, and once that tissue is dead, you can't bring it back.”
When paramedics respond to a call, they go through the same protocol of checking vital signs and administering medicine, said Grimm.
“Whether it's a stubbed toe or a cardiac arrest, our tone is the same, and hopefully that calmness is what projects calm to the patient,” he said.
Even if it’s just going for a walk around your neighborhood or swapping your usual sugary drink of choice for water, little changes can make a big difference for your heart, said Porter.
“When people call 911, it's typically because they're having some kind of cardiac event,” he said. “The best way to avoid that is to just live that healthy lifestyle.”
