Fire Service Leadership Cost-Effective Strategies to Reduce Sudden Cardiac Death

Abstract A high incidence of on-duty firefighter sudden cardiac death (SCD) results in increased costs and decreased organizational performance. Fire department leaders are concerned about the financial burden of SCDs as they put strain on departmental budgets and subsequently limit operational readiness. Grounded in transformational leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry project was to explore how fire department leaders used cost-effective strategies to reduce SCD episodes among on-duty firefighters. Participants comprised six fire department leaders located on the East Coast of the United States who had successfully implemented strategies to minimize firefighter SCD. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and a review of publicly available fire department information. Through thematic analysis, three key themes were identified: (a) firefighter health and wellness, (b) implementing and sustaining firefighter programs, and (c) sustainable program management. A key recommendation for fire department leaders is to promote holistic injury reduction strategies by emphasizing preventive measures to identify risk factors and implementing comprehensive health and wellness programs to support sustainable program management. The implications for positive social change include the potential to reduce on-duty firefighter SCD fatalities to foster effective financial policies that support proactive measures to mitigate the impact of personnel loss on the community.