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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
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