RES 713 Draft 01 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Narrative Statement Project Descdption `Please indicate which of these Target Capahilitles your request outlined in this application will satisfy. Check all that apply: Responder Safety and Health ' Please provide your naraWe statement In the space provided below. Include in your narrative, details regarding (1) your project's description and budget, (2) your organizaton's flnandal need, (3) the beneftt to be derived from the cost of your project, and (4) how the actNttles requested in your application will help your organization's daily operations and how this grant will protect life and property. PROBLEM STATEMENT Based on correlatlons with Hawaii Department o} Health statistics, the members of the Hawaii Fire Department (HFD) are at slgnlftcanUy high risk for Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), Diabetes and Stroke. Furthermore, at this point such an assertion can only be based on anecdotal evidence because there Is no system in place to identify who and how many of our members are at risk. And even if such at-risk members oould lie Identified, the HFD does not currently have a formal fitness and Injury preventlon program to address their health and fitness concerns. MAIN POINT The HawaB Flre Department is confident that a formal, mandatory Wellness Fitness Program will be the best way to protect and measure our fire ftghters' heahh and well being. Because of our department's Isolatlon and relatively small size, members have to work harder and bnger in very hazardous wnditions that could be leading to health problems that are currently going unidentified. If our members were healthier and filter, they could work safer and harder in all aspects of the job. While our department is certified to NFPA 1001 standards, and our minds and knowledge are up to the task, for many of our members-and as yet we have no way of knowing exactly how many-the body is not. SUPPORTING STATEMENTS 2 weeks of 15-hour days searching In blizzard conditions at a 14,000-foot elevation. Fighting a 30,000-acre brush fire fanned by 50 MPH winds endangering hundreds of homes. Diving along a jagged shoreline in high surf warring conditlons for a missing boy swept into the ocean by a huge wave. These are just a few of the diverse calls that we have recently responded to. Our island Is unlike anywhere in the world, with 11 of the world's 13 climate zones. You would have to travel from Alaska all the way to Costa RICA t0 fled the same number of climate zones found here. Wa have the planets most active volcano forming vast expanses of lava fields so barren and unforgiving that they were used by NASA to simulate the surface of the moon, two mountains over 13,500 feet tall, and 268 miles of rugged coastline. Having only 347 career Fire Fighters to protect these 4,028 square miles is a huge challenge for a department soley responsible for all EMS servkas, search and rescue, HAZMAT, and fire suppression for an area twice the size of the state of Delaware. Add to the mix having to recruit from a general population that has some severe health issues, and the task at times seem insurmountable. If we base our assumptions on the health of the generel population the statistics are frightening: -Hawaii County has the states' highest Cardiovascular Disease mortality rate -Native Hawaiians mortality rate is 50% higher then the state average -Hawaii County has the highest smoking rate in the state -Native Hawaiians are significantly higher at 27.1 - 33% of adults are classified overweight with 18% considered obese -Hawaii County has the highest diabetes rate in the country -Hawaii County has the highest mortality rate for diabetes as cause of death - 30°k higher chance to develop kidney disease - 36% of our fire Hawaii County Fire Fighters are Native Hawaiian EXHIBIT "A"