[Can smoking habit be a real risk factor of coronary heart disease in firefighters?]

Active firefighting is strongly associated with exposure to health and live threads (smoke, toxic substances, high temperature) and stress (human suffering, injury, death). Tobacco smoking as a form of stress reduction is an important social and health problem in this group. Smoking as one of the well recognized cardiovascular risk factors may be associated with a risk of death from coronary heart disease in firefighters. The group of 174 active firefighters from wielkopolska region was examined based on Fagerström's and Scheiner's questionnaire. 46% of examined firefighters were active smokers. Mean age of smoking initiation was 16 years, motivation was indicated as an influence of school fellows, curiosity and social situations. Smoking was continued mainly due to professional stress, influence of friends and social situations. 99% considered smoking as harmful and 84% expressed high motivation to quit smoking. It seems to be of special importance to undertake prophylactic measures for oligosymptomatic cardiologic problems and creation of special programs allowing to maintenance of physical fitness among firefighters. Another area of concern should be psychological education on stress-lowering techniques and on general knowledge on a harm of smoking.