First responders know how to stay healthy. Their jobs make it harder.

First responders, like police officers, firefighters, and EMTs, know how to perform under pressure. They train for life-saving work, stay active, and understand the importance of nutrition, sleep, recovery, and heart health.

The Challenge of Maintaining Healthy Habits

The nature of their jobs often makes it hard to maintain healthy habits. Overnight calls disrupt sleep, and meals happen around unpredictable shifts. Stress, smoke, heat, and intense physical exertion are common parts of the work. For firefighters, exposure to certain substances is known to cause cancer, and heart problems are a major health concern related to their job.

Cities need to support first responder health by understanding these realities. They shouldn't ask employees to just work around these challenges. First responders need better information about their own bodies to focus their efforts effectively. While a yearly check-up offers a quick look, deeper testing over time can show important changes.

Function for Work offers lab testing, advanced imaging, and tests for environmental exposures like heavy metals and PFAS. This helps create a clearer picture of a first responder's health over time.

Beyond Standard Health Checks

Heart health is a big concern for firefighters. However, a standard cholesterol test might miss important details. Data from Function members shows why more comprehensive testing matters. Nearly one in four members had high levels of Lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), even though their standard cholesterol markers were normal. This means they had a heart risk indicator that a basic screening would have missed.

Lp(a) directly measures cholesterol particles that can clog arteries. This makes it a strong indicator of heart disease risk. Yet, it's not usually part of standard cholesterol panels. Broader testing can give first responders information that standard screenings might not catch, giving them more to discuss with their doctors.

Helping First Responders Focus Their Efforts

First responders often make careful choices about their nutrition. But without specific measurements, they might not know where to focus their efforts.

Consider omega fatty acids. The body can't make omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, so they must come from food. However, just looking at omega-3s might not tell the whole story. Fewer than 5% of Function members had low levels of EPA or DHA individually. But more than 98% had an unhealthy omega-6-to-3 ratio at their first visit.

Once members see these results, they have more information to make targeted changes. This could involve adjusting their diet or taking supplements. They can then track these changes at future lab visits. For first responders, this might mean changing meals at the firehouse, focusing on recovery outside of work, or discussing results with a doctor. Better information helps them focus their health efforts.

Benefits for the Job They Do

You can't make a first responder's job predictable, but you can give them better tools to understand their changing health. A firefighter can't guarantee eight hours of sleep. An EMT can't control when the next call comes. And no first responder can completely avoid all job-related exposures.

Benefits can be designed to account for these realities. Function for Work provides first responders with access to over 160 lab tests each year. These cover heart health, hormones, kidney and liver function, heavy metals, and more. They also get access to advanced imaging and additional tests. Instead of generic health messages, this gives an already health-conscious workforce more specific information about what needs attention, what changes over time, and what to discuss with their doctors.

First responders must be ready for the unexpected. Giving them better information empowers them to make informed decisions about the health aspects they can control.