For immediate release

Downey Fire Department
Launches Wellness Initiative

(Downey)The City of Downey Fire Department has awarded a fitness/wellness contract to BioConstructs, a company with offices in Los Angeles and New York. BioConstructs’ group and one-on-one instruction focuses on physical readiness and injury prevention for firefighters.

“We want to decrease the number and severity of injuries and the amount of healing time — get guys back quicker and healthier,” says Dave Simmons, battalion chief for the Downey Fire Department. “We’ve had a fitness program for about 30 years, but this one will take us to the next level.”

BioConstructs’ program, Preparation for Chaos, takes a scientific approach to injury prevention and integrated cardiovascular and anaerobic strength, assessing each firefighter’s joint function, skeletal levers, orthopedic history, and current orthopedic and neuromuscular status, then introducing specific applications of force to that structure.

“Firefighters’ joints have to be prepared to go into ranges that most people wouldn’t have to do in an ordinary day. Their bodies have to be able to sustain tremendous shock,” says Trevor St. John, co-owner of BioConstructs. “As far as I know, there isn’t another company out there doing firefighter wellness that gets as specific as we do with each firefighter.”

A thorough understanding of a firefighter’s job was an important factor in Downey’s decision, Simmons says. “They came in knowing what the fire department’s all about — what we do, how we do it, and how we can’t be in the perfect lifting position every time.”

By tailoring the program to suit the particular demands on firefighters’ muscles, BioConstructs helped reduce sprain and strain injuries for another client in Southern California, by 33 percent. Ideally, such results continue long after formal Preparation for Chaos training has ended, says BioConstructs co-owner Jacques Taylor.

“We really give them a thought process, and they’ll be able to employ these concepts over their careers,” he says. “Ultimately, we want to reduce the number of injuries — and the costs associated with those injuries — for our clients.”

BioConstructs tailors science-based health and fitness programs for those with physically demanding jobs. The Preparation for Chaos program targets firefighters, helping them strengthen their bodies to handle unpredictable, strenuous situations, thus reducing the likelihood of injury. The company also conducts master classes for health and fitness professionals and training seminars for corporate clients. BioConstructs (www.bioconstructs.com) has offices in Los Angeles and New York.

Interested in a wellness program for firefighters?
Call Jacques Henri Taylor at 800-578-9303 or email us