Firefighter Alex Moss, 54, of the Upper Saddle River Fire Department (near NYC) died in the line of duty following a run.
On Sunday, Oct. 30, Firefighter Moss responded to the fire station for a residential fire alarm call. He remained at the station and complained to his fellow firefighters that he wasn’t feeling well and went home. In the early afternoon, his wife found him deceased in bed from an apparent heart attack.
Our sincere condolences to all those affected. Rest In Peace.
THIS IS A SOMBER REMINDER OF THE IAFC’S
“IF YOU DON’T FEEL WELL-DON’T MAKE IT YOUR FAREWELL” PROGRAM
The International Association of Fire Chiefs’
“If You Don’t Feel Well, Don’t Make It Your Farewell” was created to raise awareness throughout the fire and emergency service about the fatal risks of Firefighters ignoring signs of a heart attack that can lead to a cardiac event.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, 41% of firefighter deaths in 2018 were attributed to sudden cardiac death.
Fire Chief Gary Ludwig, IAFC past president launched the initiative a few years ago with a powerful video illustrating how ignoring the symptoms and signals our bodies send during cardiac incidents too often leads to death. The IAFC has developed the Cardiac Awareness Toolkit to assist fire service leaders in helping educate their departments and begin to change the culture of denial in the profession.
The toolkit contains many resources available for download:
Sample policies and strategy development tools
Research papers
Training and media tools
CLICK HERE: