[Cardiovascular risk among firefighters]

Firefighting is a high-hazard job for hearth disease, smoke exposure, physical exertion, psychological stressors and noise increase cardiovascular risk among fire fighters. In U.S.A. during the period 1984-2011 45% of on-duty fire fighter fatalities were due to sudden cardiac death. However numerous mortality studies have not shown consistent evidence of an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. In Italy fire fighters, burdened with elevated cardiovascular risk and psycho-physical demand, have entry-level and periodic medical evaluations. For these workers wellness/fitness programs, strategies aimed to reduce cardiovascular risk factors and fitness evaluations to ensure that are physically capable of performing the essential job tasks of their profession should be encouraged.