Firefighters on patrol are safer than at the station where they’re at risk of a heart attack when the alarm sounds, Mayor Tony George said Tuesday in further explanation of why he’s ordered the department to conduct community fire watches.
The department had been conducting the watches, but for the past 40 days stepped them up at the direction of the mayor by driving apparatus in the neighborhoods, not only to serve as a deterrent, but also to detect fires. George added the well-being of firefighters to the list of benefits.
Most firefighters have heart attacks when they’re awoken from a sound sleep to respond to a call, George said. That’s when “your adrenaline pumps up,” he said without offering any supporting evidence.
But it’s the condition of the apparatus members of Local 104 of the International Association of Fire Fighters are worried about at this point.