Carrying those hoses will soon get easier for Somerville firefighters, thanks to a federal grant and the assistance of a Tufts nutrition program.
The grant to the Somerville Fire Department for $228,000 was announced by Mayor Joe Curtatone on Oct. 17. Its purpose is to help improve the firefighters' overall health and wellness. Experts from Tufts' Shape Up Somerville program will work with the department to fulfill the goals.
Massachusetts currently has no mandatory fitness standards for firefighters after they join the force. A significant amount of firefighters' deaths are heart- and stress-related, according to Somerville Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher.
There is no definitive plan for how the money will be spent. Kelleher said part of the grant would likely go toward individual wellness and fitness programs for the firefighters.
The grant will also go toward the purchase of about $120,000 worth of fitness equipment and new protective bunker equipment for the firefighters. This will replace the station's old and worn fitness equipment.
"The guys are really excited about this," Kelleher said. "Someone cares, so we're getting something new."
Kelleher said the grant request was initiated by the firefighters themselves because they wanted to improve their fitness and mental well being.
"This grant is unique in that it targets a group of people who put their lives on the line for us," said Kate Ashton, who wrote the project's grant proposal. "This is an opportunity for the city of Somerville to do something to save them."
The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy will participate by providing "program administration, health assessment, fitness programming tailored to each firefighter's need, stress reduction instruction, [and] cooking and nutritional information to firefighters in all fire stations," the grant reads.
According to project coordinator Sarah Cluggish, who works at the Nutrition School, Professor Christina Economos will oversee the project's Tufts staff.
Economos founded Shape Up Somerville - an obesity prevention program that promotes physical activity and healthy eating in Somerville schools.
"Our role in the fire department's grant is a result of the relationships we have built with the city through the Shape Up Somerville project," Cluggish said.
Economos' staff will be made up of Tufts faculty. Tufts students may also be invited to provide nutrition education workshops to the firefighters.
According to Cluggish, the project will allow Tufts to further develop its relationship with the community. "We will be able to share our knowledge of healthy eating and active living," she said. "And we will also learn about the special opportunities and challenges firemen face."
The grant may also lead to Tufts-assisted workshops on the dangers of stress, Kelleher said.
Six Somerville firefighters have already been certified as physical trainers. These firefighters will be working with Tufts' health and fitness experts to effectively implement the program.
