VIDEO: The Oklahoma State Firefighters Association is banning energy drinks at any and all class sites where there is hands-on training.
"With the trend of energy drinks, we've seen that some firefighters are drinking a four pack of Red Bull before lunchtime," said Sheri Nickel, Deputy Director for the association.
Firefighters who have graduated from school might be able to get away with that, but now it's a different story for students in training. Nickel says trainees seen with or are drinking an energy drink of any kind are not allowed to participate in hands on training or hot class. Nickel says the changes come after a pair of recent deaths.
"The chairman of our NVFC (National Volunteer Fire Council) is from Kansas, and there have been two recent line of duty deaths in Kansas of firefighters, and they're attributing their deaths to energy drinks," she said.