Understanding the importance of healthy employees we have been progressive in our Physical Training Policies allowing our crews 60 minutes of uninterrupted PT per 24 hour shift. Each station is equipped with cardio and/or weight training options. Many of our crews participate in fitness competitions outside of work and our participation in the annual Gila River Public Safety Crossfit Games is growing.
Excerpt from our policy:
Purpose: To facilitate, promote and encourage healthy lifestyles for employees, management and administration by providing motivating information, physical training (PT) opportunities, fitness competition and healthy peer pressure, therefore decreasing injuries and illness both on and off duty.
Background: The tasks that EMS professionals are faced with are extremely demanding physically. These tasks are usually performed without any warm-up and under environmentally hostile conditions. This set of circumstances is conducive to a very high risk of injury. If injuries are going to be reduced, the capacity to endure the physical demands of EMS work must be increased. Assignments are significantly assisted by being physically fit.
Regular physical fitness activities and healthy eating habits are very important to the total well-being of the EMS professional. Participating in them not only helps to reduce injuries; it also increases strength and stamina, keeps minds alert and releases various forms of personal stress.