In pursuit of better health

IT WAS an opportunity for members of the public to get their health checked. But the health and safety extravaganza staged by the Barbados Fire Service also targeted their own to ensure that officers are kept in top shape to take on the challenges of their job.

​Carlos Husbands, fire officer and coordinator of the event, said the job was stressful and some people suffered from high blood pressure.

“It [being a fire officer] can cause you at times to be under pressure and even though you are trained there are times when certain emergencies will have you a little more tense.”

​Husbands was speaking yesterday at the Fire Service headquarters, Probyn Street, as activities continued under the theme Working To Have A Safer Community.

“The department is dominated by males and it is accepted that men do not like going to the doctor to get checks and that is the reason why we brought the health practitioners in.

“If you get the health professionals to come in and give assistance [to] our officers to identify illnesses or areas where they think they may need help, it will help instead of letting them walk around and just collapse,” he said.

Husbands said the response by the officers to the health extravaganza had increased over the years and they have been making adjustments to their health routines.

​He said the gym at the station was back in operation and more officers were engaged in physical activity.

The outreach also attracted schoolchildren, and members of the public also benefited from a wide range of health checks offered by health officials.

​The Barbados Light & Power Company, the Barbados Water Authority and the National Council on Substance Abuse were also involved in the extravaganza. (LK)