Thursday, February 23, 2012

Physical Fitness: Law Enforcement, and Emergency Management



Fit for Duty? The Need for Physical Fitness Programs for Law Enforcement Officers

By Sergeant Adrienne Quigley, Arlington County, Virginia, Police Department; and IACP Fellow

It should not be surprising that physical fitness and exercise improve long-term health. Studies have shown that sedentary people have twice the risk of coronary artery disease than active people as well as a higher risk of stroke, colon cancer, and back injuries. Only 22 percent of U.S. adults get at least 30 minutes of light to moderate exercise five or more times a week, and less than 10 percent exercise vigorously at least three times a week.1 More than 50 percent of deaths in the United States are attributable to these and other lifestyle choices.2

Regular physical activity helps to prevent coronary heart disease and assists with weight control. Weight training and strength exercises build muscles and endurance and enhance flexibility, thus protecting the body from injury and disability. Consistent physical activity has also been shown to reduce blood pressure, blood lipids, and glucose tolerance, thus helping to prevent hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. 

Expending at least 2,000 calories a week in physical activity reduces an individual’s risk of dying of any cause by 28 percent. Mortality rates for unfit men were estimated at 64 per 10,000 persons. However, that number drops to 18.6 per 10,000 persons when looking at those that are most fit.3 Being physically fit translates into fewer sick days, disabilities, and injuries—thereby reducing health-care costs.

Even though many U.S. citizens are aware of these or similar statistics, the U.S. population in general is not as fit as it should be—and police officers are no exception. In recent years, there has been a reduction in the health and fitness of law enforcement officers across the United States. This lack of fitness makes officers prone to on-duty injuries and illnesses, increases their exposure to liability, and engenders a loss of respect from the community based on their appearance.

The Current Danger

From 1983 to 1993, a study was conducted by the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research that randomly sampled approximately 1,700 officers from different law enforcement agencies across the country. The results show that when compared with the general population, officers’ average fitness levels are below normal in the areas of aerobic fitness, body fat, and abdominal strength and average in upper body strength and lower-back flexibility. The data show that law enforcement officers are less fit in most areas than at least half of all U.S. citizens despite the fact that the physical demands of their profession require that they be more fit than the average person.4

As a group, law enforcement officers have a greater morbidity and mortality rate than the general public, due mostly to cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and suicide. Recent studies have shown an annual increase in the frequency and severity of cardiovascular incidences among law enforcement personnel. The risk of having a heart attack doubles with each decade of law enforcement service.5 Because of this, numerous states have adopted the “heart and lung bill,” allowing officers who develop cardiovascular disease to take an early retirement.

Furthermore, law enforcement officers suffer more job-related stress than people in other occupations. Many realize that the nature of the profession itself exposes officers to increased levels of stress. Making split-second, lifesaving decisions; facing inherent dangers; working shift work and long hours; and constantly interacting with people who are upset, angry, or uncooperative all take a toll on individuals. 

Job-related stress is a major health concern for the law enforcement community because it can affect the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of the officers. Stress related emotional problems such as divorce, suicide, and alcoholism are prevalent in the law enforcement community. Physically, stress has been linked to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, lower-back pain, and gastrointestinal disorders. However, exercise and physical activity have been shown to reduce stress levels and alleviate some of the pressures officers feel as part of their profession.

To determine at what level of health risk an individual may be, a statistical measure called relative risk was developed. Relative risk evaluates the likelihood of dying or developing a particular disease for an individual with an identified risk factor. An average risk would be noted as a relative risk of 1.0. 

The relative risk for law enforcement for being unfit and inactive is 2.2. This means that unfit and inactive law enforcement officers have a chance of suffering a heart attack 2.2 times greater than those officers who participate in a physical fitness program. If an officer has a second risk factor, such as smoking, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, the increased risk rises to 6.6 times.6 

One study of a major metropolitan police department showed that almost 50 percent of its officers had at least three of the five major risk factors for coronary heart disease: high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, inactivity/poor cardiovascular fitness, or high blood pressure. Because of this, it is not hard to understand why the average life span of an officer after retirement is only two to five years.7 A major contributing factor to this phenomenon is the lack of personal and agency fitness and wellness programs.

Fitness and Performance

In the law enforcement field, fitness also has a direct impact on job performance. Based on job descriptions from agencies across the country, a core list of physical tasks required to perform the duties of a law enforcement officer were identified. The critical tasks—those tasks where poor performance could put officers or the public in jeopardy—were identified as running, climbing, jumping, lifting/carrying, dragging, pushing, and use of force.8

For over 75 percent of police apprehensions, the amount of resistance given by the suspect is described as moderate or strong, and the average amount of time it takes to subdue a subject can vary between 30 seconds and two minutes. For most physical tasks lasting over two minutes, officers use 75–90 percent of their maximum capability.9 Cardiovascular endurance, anaerobic power, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition are all underlying factors in successful job performance.

An in-depth study conducted by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1997 examined 40 cases of serious assaults against law enforcement officers across the country. The incidents were analyzed through offender and officer interviews and document reviews. 

Of the 52 officers participating in the study, 47 stated that they were in “excellent” health at the time of the assault, four reported being in “better than average” health, and the remaining officer reported “average” health. Seventy-three percent of the officers were involved in a physical fitness program, the most common of which were running and weightlifting. Repeatedly, officers credited their fitness level with aiding them in their survival.10

Physical fitness can also protect officers from becoming victims. In the numerous offender interviews conducted by the FBI over the course of the past 10 years, it was learned that offenders typically size up their victims when deciding what they are going to do. Many had difficulty identifying a particular trait or mannerism that made them pick or not pick a particular officer, but they did articulate that the deciding factor was whether or not they felt they could “take them.” If officers appeared fit and conducted themselves in a professional manner, offenders hesitated; however, when officers were perceived as potential targets, offenders capitalized on the situation. 

Officers need to be cognizant of the image they convey and recognize that their appearance and demeanor in uniform is a primary factor in how others will perceive them.11

Cost of the Least Fit

National accident, injury, and illness data have shown that 20 percent of the average law enforcement agency’s workforce is responsible for 80 percent of the cost of the accidents. The small percentage of least-fit officers is responsible for the majority of the compensable injuries. Various law enforcement agencies calculated the average cost of an in-service heart attack to be between $400,000 and $700,000. Heart disease accounts for 20–50 percent of all early retirements, and back problems account for another 15–35 percent. Lack of physical activity is one major contributor to both conditions.12 One study tabs the cost of early disability at 165 percent of an officer’s salary.13

Establishing Fitness and Wellness Programs

Due to the alarming health data and the steady decline in the wellness of U.S. citizens, a task force was created by various law enforcement organizations to establish a model health and fitness program that would be voluntary. Unfortunately, even with a large publicity campaign, the program was not supported by the majority of law enforcement agencies across the country. 

The state of North Carolina was one of the few jurisdictions that recognized the dire need for intervention in the area of health and fitness and approved funding for seven agencies to participate in a pilot study. The data show improvements across the board in overall fitness. Significant cardiovascular and strength improvements were noted, and several participants were even able to stop taking medication for diabetes and hypertension because of their weight loss. The participating agencies reported a 25 percent increase in productivity through a variety of factors: reduced absenteeism, reduced turnover rate, reduced accidents, and reduced worker’s compensation claims. 

Research has shown that for every one dollar invested into fitness and wellness programs, the return ranges from two to five dollars.14

A total fitness and wellness program provides benefits to participants as well as to the agency that establishes such a program. Officers stand to profit from an improved ability to perform job functions, reduced stress, and better physical and psychological preparation. Agencies stand to benefit in terms of efficiency as well as fiscally. Officers are less likely to be injured or retire on disability, thus reducing the costs of disability payments and the hiring and training of new employees. Studies analyzing the civilian workforce show that active employees demonstrated greater productivity. Based on this theory, the performance ratings of fit and unfit officers were examined, and it was learned that the more fit and active officers received higher ratings on their performance evaluations than their less fit and inactive peers. In addition to this, officers that are more fit and active have 40–70 percent less absenteeism than less-fit officers.15 

Agencies that utilize proactive fitness and wellness programs are considered preferred risks by state municipal league self-insured pooling organizations, and incentive programs have been established to encourage more participation.

By implementing an exercise program, agencies also reduce their liability by ensuring that officers are prepared to handle tasks while controlling the possible risks and their associated costs. 

Failure to provide fitness and wellness training can open an agency to unnecessary liability, especially in cases alleging excessive force. In the case of Parker v. District of Columbia, the arresting officer was accused of using excessive force to effect an arrest of a combative subject. The officer’s lack of physical fitness and inability to use defensive tactics or less lethal options resulted in his discharging his firearm, rendering the suspect a paraplegic. The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department was found to be deliberately indifferent to the physical training needs of its officers, and the plaintiff was awarded a substantial sum of money.16

A total fitness program incorporates the development of good lifestyle habits, including regular exercise, good nutrition, weight management, stress management, and substance abuse prevention. Such a program must be supported by an agency’s administrators for it to be successful. Fitness and health programs are believed to increase employee loyalty, improve morale, and decrease turnover. 

More importantly, employees benefit from improved quality of life and health while reducing employeerelated accidents, injuries, and illnesses, thus reducing operating costs. There is a recent trend within the law enforcement community to recognize the importance of fitness as it relates to job performance, officer safety, and wellness. Several agencies have initiated incentive programs for officers to encourage participation and improve health.

Fitness and Officer Safety

There has been a long-standing belief that deaths in the line of duty are unacceptable, and law enforcement professionals have done everything they can to reduce them. This philosophy should also extend to officer injuries. Law enforcement leaders cannot accept the proposition that accidents or injuries are a reality of the law enforcement profession. The only acceptable belief is zero officers killed or injured

Studies have shown repeatedly that physical fitness has a direct impact on reducing injuries and improving personal well-being as well as work performance. There needs to be a national push to increase the development and participation in fitness and health programs by law enforcement agencies to protect officers and save lives. At the 2006 annual IACP conference, a resolution recognizing the importance of law enforcement fitness and wellness programs was adopted. The IACP commends the development of fitness programs utilizing activities generally performed by police officers and encourages the adoption of career-long fitness and wellness standards by law enforcement agencies. ?

Notes:
1J. E. Smith Jr. and G. Gregory Tooker, “Health and Fitness in Law Enforcement: A Voluntary Model Program Response to a Critical Issue,” CALEA Update, no. 87 (February 2005): 28, http://www.calea.org/Online/newsletter/No87/healthfitness.htm (accessed April 29, 2008).
2Thomas R. Collingwood et al., “Why Officers Need to Be Fit,” chap. 1 in Fit Force Administrators Guide (Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics, 1998), 5.
3Ibid., 13.
4Ibid., 8.
5Ibid., 10.
6Ibid., 11.
7Smith and Tooker, “Health and Fitness in Law Enforcement,” 28.
8Collingwood, “Why Officers Need to Be Fit,” 3.
9Ibid., 4.
10Anthony J. Pinizzotto, Edward F. Davis, and Charles E. Miller III, In the Line of Fire (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, 1997), 14.
11Anthony J. Pinizzotto and Edward F. Davis, “Offender’s Perceptual Shorthand: What Messages Are Law Enforcement Officers Sending to Offenders?” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 68, no. 6 (June 1999): 1, http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/1999/jun99leb.pdf (accessed April 29, 2008).
12Smith and Tooker, “Health and Fitness in Law Enforcement,” 28.
13Ibid.
14G. Gregory Tooker and David D. Cashwell, “Revisiting the Fitness and Health in Law Enforcement Model Program,” CALEA Update, no. 96 (February 2008): 23.
15Smith and Tooker, “Health and Fitness in Law Enforcement,” 28.
16Parker v. District of Columbia, 850 F.2d 708 (D.C. Cir. 1988).

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From The Police Chief, vol. LXXV, no. 6, June 2008. Copyright held by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, 515 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 USA.


Monday, February 20, 2012

U.,S. Virgin Islands. Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency




Agency Overview


Our Mission
The principal mission of VITEMA as a first response coordinator, is to save lives and property of the territory’s population, by preparing territorial organizations to respond to, recover from and mitigate against All-Hazards, through planning, coordinating, training and exercise activities and is the sole Virgin Islands government agency designated to supervise, administer and coordinate All-Hazards response and recovery operations. Authority is derived from V. I. Code,Title 23, the VITEMA Act (5233) of 1986 and the Emergency Management Act of 2009.

Our Vision
To be the pre-eminent emergency management agency in the Caribbean and the Nation by providing an effective, responsible, and professional network of services to ensure resiliency before, during, and after a natural or man-made incident that may impact the safety and well-being of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) is the lead emergency management agency for the Territory as defined in the Virgin Islands Code, Title 23, Chapter 10. As such, the VITEMA’s mission is to prepare for, coordinate the response to and the recovery from all hazards and threats that impacts the Virgin Islands. In recent years, VITEMA has focused the majority of its planning and training efforts on hurricane and coastal storm preparedness. While this preparedness effort is extremely important, the Territory faces many equally dangerous and significant threats from other natural and man-made disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis and terrorism. The Territory must maintain a high level of readiness in order to effectively respond to these threats especially in light of recent earthquake events in Haiti and Chile in our hemisphere. 

To meet these threats, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr., in 2009, reorganized emergency management in the Virgin Islands by consolidating the VITEMA, the Virgin Islands Office of Homeland Security, the 9-1-1 communication centers, and the Public Assistance Grant Program. Moving VITEMA’s personnel, program, and functions from under the auspices of the Office of the Adjutant General, the Office of Management and Budget and the VI Police Department will bring greater focus and enhance the importance of emergency management throughout the Territory. This approach has been further strengthened by elevating the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency to a cabinet-level agency under the Office of the Governor of the Virgin Islands. 
The new VITEMA has been established following the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which is a comprehensive, nationwide systematic approach to emergency management. The system standardizes resource management procedures for optimum coordination among different islands, departments, and agencies of the V.I. Government and the private sector. VITEMA, as it is reorganized, enhances organizational and technological operations and cooperation, which promotes all-hazard preparedness. 

The components of VITEMA include logistics, preparedness, operations, grant manage ment, administration and finance and recovery. You can learn more about VITEMA's Divisions, here.

Governor John P. deJongh, Jr. has fulfilled his commitment to implementing a 9-1-1 system with modern equipment and services required to assist dispatchers and first responders in providing professional emergency response services to V.I. citizens – and the millions of annual guests – in the Territory. The Unified Communications Center is currently operational on St. Croix and on St. Thomas/St. John/Water Island. 
 
During the 2009-2010 fiscal year VITEMA has made significant progress on improving its infrastructure. With funding from the Legislature, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on St John was refurbished and modern telecommunication and video teleconference capabilities were installed. Simultaneously, on St. Croix, with assistance from the V.I Government some repairs of the facility were completed. On St Thomas, the Government acquired the E.D. Plumbing Building and has reconfigured and rebuilt the interior to meet the needs of the newly reorganized VITEMA. This facility also includes modern telecommunication equipment, a fusion center, a new EOC, and is the home of the 9-1-1 Communication Center. 
 
As VITEMA improves performance and coordinates services to reduce response time, the Agency will better serve the V.I. community before, during and after emergencies. The VITEMA is committed to being the number one (1) emergency management agency in the Caribbean and will continue striving to provide quality emergency response services and to protect the security of our homeland in the Virgin Islands. 

FOCUS: U.S. Virgin Islands Teen CERT Program

Virgin Islands Territorial
Emergency Management Agency

February 7, 2012

VITEMA, St. Croix Rescue Kicks Off Teen CERT at Elena Christian Jr. High School


The Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) and the St. Croix Rescue Squad, on Wednesday, will welcome Elena Christian Junior High School students to the Teen CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) pilot program. A brief opening ceremony is scheduled for in the school’s auditorium.

Teen CERT, an offshoot of the adult CERT program, falls under the umbrella of the Citizen Corp Council, a national organization created by President Bush in 2002 to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. 

Thirty-six St. Elena Christian students signed up to join Teen CERT, becoming among the first teen groups to be certified in basic disaster response. Between Wednesday and Friday, the students will be taught skills such as fire safety and how to suppress, light search and rescue, disaster medical operations and team organization.

Certified CERT trainers with the St. Croix Rescue Academy are serving as instructors.

On Sunday, the program will culminate with a mock full-scale disaster exercise and certificate presentation at the St. Croix Rescue Academy in Five Corners. The mock exercise is set to begin at approximately and will test all of the disaster response and management skills students learned in the classroom.

Completion of the program means that the Elena Christian Junior High School now has within its campus, students qualified to assist others following an event when professional responders are not immediately available to help. Teen CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.

“We are proud of the students who volunteered for this training,” VITEMA Director Elton Lewis said. “It shows that they are concerned with the well-being of their families and the community as a whole and we applaud them for that. I also want to thank the Elena Christian school administrators for allowing us to bring the program to their campus.”

VITEMA launched the Teen CERT program in the Virgin Islands in April of last year at the Seventh Day Adventist High School as part of pilot program created to educate and train student-volunteers nationwide in preparing for disasters that impact their areas. Teen CERT certification is also available to faith-based communities, youth organizations and members of clubs and civic organizations.

The media is invited to visit the program at the Elena Christian Junior High School between Wednesday and Friday and at the St. Croix Rescue Academy on Sunday. The training calendar is attached for planning purposes. 

For more information about Teen CERT contact VITEMA’s Deputy Director for Preparedness Al Javois at 773-2244 ext. 222.

Learn more about Teen CERT: http://www.vitema.gov/cert

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