BILLINGS — According to Billings assistant fire chief for the EMS department, Jason Banfield, cardiovascular disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in first responders.
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs are significantly more likely than the general public to develop heart disease, or have a heart attack, especially after the age of 40.
Banfield and healthcare officials at Intermountain Health are encouraging all first responders over the age of 40 to get screened for heart disease, so they can continue to save lives with a healthy heart.
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Every day, first responders work in unpredictable and high-stress environments. Banfield says it's a rewarding job, but one that takes a toll on their health.
"It's a great way to give back. It feels good to do this work, and really, it's ever-changing," Banfield told MTN Thursday.
It's the high-adrenaline environments, long, late-night shifts, unhealthy meals on the go, and smoke inhalation that contributes to the health of first responders.
With high stress, comes high cortisol levels, which can contribute to cardiovascular disease.
"You go from zero to almost panic at any point in time of the day," Banfield says.
Banfield has been a first responder for over 30 years. He started out as an EMT, became a paramedic, moved on to firefighting, and is now the assistant chief for the EMS department at Billings Fire Station 1. Because of the nature of his job and family history, Banfield is taking preventive steps to care for his heart.
"Genetically I'm susceptible. I have no uncles on one side, 'cuz they all died at the age of 50 to 55" from heart disease, he said.
Besides Banfield's uncles, his father has also had heart attacks.
With this family history in mind, and reaching 50 years old, Banfield starting seeing Intermountain Health cardiologist Carine Basmadjian.
"There's overwhelming evidence that first responders have a higher risk of heart disease compared to the general population," Basmadjian said Thursday.
Basmadjian focuses on preventative care in her practice. She believes all first responders over the age of 40 should regularly get screened for cardiovascular disease.
"The extreme stress involved in their job, intense physical exertion, chemical and smoke exposure, and the shift work (can lead to heart disease)," she said.
One test used to determine the risk for cardiovascular disease is a Coronary Artery Calcium scan (CAS). The scan determines if there is plaque buildup in the arteries.
Intermountain Health and the Billings Fire Department are collaborating to ensure that all of their first responders above the age of 40 are getting screened.
Banfield said the procedure was non-invasive and only took 15 minutes. It only needs to be repeated every five years.
"(A CSC) measures the amount of calcified plaque that's already there in your coronary arteries, the arteries that supply the heart and muscles. It better risk stratifies people according to their age and their gender," Basmadjian said.
Cardiology nurse McKenzie Kurtz says CSCs are a common screening technique and less invasive than a catheter.
She recommends patients with heart disease get screened once a year to check on progress.
"We do like to repeat labs to see if those cholesterol levels, if they're already abnormal... Then putting interventions between change in diet, lifestyle modifications, as well as medications to help combat that," Kurtz said.
For patients with heart disease, both Kurtz and Basmadjian recommend diet changes to prevent ingesting more fat. For instance, switching from sour cream to a low-fat yogurt, switching seasonings for less sodium, and drinking 1% milk instead of whole milk.
Basmadjian especially recommends the Mediterranean diet, as it incorporates lean meat and whole grains.
Both Kurtz and Basmadjian are grateful that employees at the Billings Fire Department are now being regularly screened.
"It's extremely rewarding seeing these patients come in very proactive with their health," Basmadjian said.
"I love the prevention patients. These patients are gung ho to make changes, and I think seeing them after the fact is very rewarding," Kurtz said.
