They also have been published many times in the International Fire Service Journal of Leadership and Management (IFSJLM). DR. DENISE SMITH is Professor of Exercise Science at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a Research Scientist at the University of Illinois Fire Service Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in Kinesiology with a specialization in Exercise Physiology from the University of Illinois. Much of her fire service-related research has focused on physiological effects of firefighting, particularly the cardiovascular strain associated with the combination of heavy physical work, heat stress, and the psychological stress that firefighters routinely encounter. Her more recent work has paid particular attention to the role of firefighting in altering blood clotting potential because this may be the mechanism by which firefighting triggers sudden cardiac events. DR. SARA JAHNKE comes from a fire service family. Her father, Fire Chief Bill Jahnke, is retired from the Overland Park (Kansas) Fire Department. Sara is the Director of the Center for Fire, Rescue, and EMS Health Research at the National Development and Research Institute – a nonprofit research firm. She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology with a Health Emphasis at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, and the American Heart Association’s Fellowship on Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. Sara is recognized as an expert in Health Behavior Research, Qualitative Methodology, and Epidemiology. Some of her more recent fire service-related work has focused on the evaluation of several national programs such as “Stress First Aid” intervention, “The First Twenty” wellness program, and the ongoing study of the health of women firefighters. Both Denise and Sara have been connected to the issues of firefighter behavioral health and occupational cancer. Like a lot of research, much of their fire service-related work would not have been possible without grant funding – including the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program under Research and Development. Let me try to capsulize some of the critical importance of their work in a very straightforward way.
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