Firefighters at greater risk for heart problems

TYLER-Burning buildings might not be the only risks firefighters face.

One study showed 22 percent of a group of firefighters tested had prematurely narrowed arteries, which is one of the leading causes of massive heart attacks.

Job stress and smoke inhalation are obvious factors, but researcher shows poor sleeping patterns and bad diets also play a role.

But many firefighters we spoke to say in their line of work, there's no way around it. That's why the city of Tyler is trying to help keep the city's firefighters healthy.

"There is time allotted in every shift of everyday for physical fitness training that every firefighter in the city is allotted," Tyler fire investigator Paul Findley said. "So we try to take advantage of that, try to eat well as best we can, but in our line of work sometimes meals don't come in normal increments like were accustomed to when were off duty."

Background information in this study noted that heart disease has been associated with 45 percent of the on-duty deaths of firefighters in the united states, compared with 36 percent for other lines of work.