Following the 2009 Black Saturday fires the Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Victoria implemented a cardiovascular risk screening program, known as ‘Healthwatch’, assessing the cardiovascular health of volunteers and offering health advice on an annual basis. This study assessed the changes in the risk profile of CFA’s volunteer workforce by comparing the risk profile of volunteer participants at the beginning of the program to that of participants in 2013. Field assessments were conducted on 250 female and 1004 male volunteers in 2010, and 172 female and 760 volunteers in 2013. Risk factors of cardiovascular disease, including blood lipid profiles, blood pressure, anthropometric measures and diet and lifestyle were evaluated to identify individuals’ absolute risk of having a heart attack in the next six years as being low, medium or high. Results: 

Overall, the percentage of volunteers classified as having a high absolute risk in 2013 was 1.7% compared to 3.6% in 2010, whilst the percentage of people with a low absolute risk in 2013 was 92.4% compared to 88.9% in 2010. Greater improvements were seen in males (4.4% of males with a high absolute risk in 2010 and 1.8% in 2013) when compared to females, as the percentage of females with a high absolute risk of cardiovascular disease increased from 0.4% in 2010 to 1.2% in 2013. Discussion: 

Changes in the risk profile of CFA volunteer Healthwatch participants since the inception of the program indicate a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease in this cohort. Given that volunteer firefighters often complete strenuous physical activity under stressful conditions it is imperative that their health and fitness be at the highest possible level to reduce their risk of heart attack or stroke on the fire ground. Additional intervention programs may be useful to further mitigate this risk.