Firefighters Face Highest Heart Attack Risk Among Responders

Firefighters may face a higher risk of heart disease than do other emergency responders, a small new study finds. In the study, the researchers looked at heart disease risk factors such as blood pressure and body fat levels in firefighters, paramedics and police officers, and found that firefighters had the highest risk. The firefighters had, on average, a 2.9 percent chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years, based on their risk factors, the researchers said.