In order for our public safety officers to be the best they can and to be able to provide us with safety when needed, they will need adequate physical therapy available. They are expected to be able to perform at high levels and be physically fit for their specific job tasks at hand.
This
summer, I had the pleasure to work alongside not only some of my own peers and
mentors in the Athletic Training program, but also Kinesiology peers and mentors. Our research’s purpose was to investigate quality of life, movement ability and fitness levels of Firefighters in Prince
William County in order to assist in lowering risks of injuries .I became interested in this topic when we had gotten an email explaining how we would be able to be a part of
a research project that was not only going to be valuable but also a fun experience that would
help set us apart from other applicants in the future when seeking further education and
employment. During this term, I was in charge of putting all of the
data that was collected form out movement and fitness testing sessions as well as
the survey results into a spreadsheet with one of my peers. We had the task of keeping the data
organized, up to data and easy to understand. All of the notes form our other peers were
entered in in order to ensure a complete transfer or information and all data was double checked before final
completion of the spreadsheet.
One thing I discovered throughout this term that the
team effort as well as individual determination is really what made a successful Summer Impact Project. I
also had learned a lot about what it takes to maintain fitness levels as a
firefighter, commonly referred to as being “fire” fit. Understanding the evaluations and annual fitness tests that a firefighter
has to pass allows one to fully understand why physical and mental
fitness matters during daily actions.
