Focus on fitness

Sgt. Erica Hay is a world champion.

In the past several years, Hay has competed in the Scottish Highland Games held annually around the world. The Ocala Police Department officer and West Side Property Crimes detective supervisor has been the record holder for three of the competition's eight events: shot put, hammer and stone throw. She is presently the world champion in two categories.

Participants have to qualify in their host country before they can compete in the games. Although Hay qualified for his year's games, she did not go because she is attending school to earn a law degree.

With a grueling schedule as an OPD officer, and working toward her degree, Hay still finds time to stay in shape for herself and her job.

“To do our job properly, we have to stay fit,” she said.

Staying in top physical shape to counter the rigors, stress and grind of being a law enforcement official or first responder is never easy. Officers, for instance, wear roughly 15 to 20 pounds of equipment, such as a gun, handcuffs and bullet-proof vest, during a typical 12 hour shift. For SWAT team members, there is an extra 50 pounds of equipment.

Tim Hays, a personal trainer at Zone Health and Fitness in Ocala's Pine Plaza, a few feet away from OPD headquarters, said it is important for law enforcement officials, firefighters and corrections officers to challenge themselves while working out so they can be mentally and physically ready for any adversity they face in the line of duty.

“When they face uncomfortable or challenging situations, they will be ready,” Hays said.

Most of the area’s public safety and fire officials have some form of incentive-based programs and measures to help keep front line personnel in top shape. Those personnel are constantly encouraged to maintain their sharpness and edge, and to eat properly.

The Florida Highway Patrol policy manual, for example, under Physical Fitness and Wellness, states the agency “believes that having a physically fit workforce increases attendance and reduces medical costs, which benefits both the agency and its employees.”

Department officials contend that physical fitness and proper dieting are key for a well-rounded trooper. “A proper diet is an important part of the maintenance of physical fitness/wellness and members should maintain control of their weight in relation to their height and body build,” the manual states.

Chief Terry Holland of the Belleview Police Department said one of their directives stipulates that if an officer gains too much weight and can no longer wear his or her initial uniform, they will be required to pay for new uniforms. If an officer loses weight and continues to do so for a period of time, however, he or she will receive a health award pin and have their uniform paid for by the department.

“It's common sense to be healthier,” Holland said.

The chief said their newly expanded headquarters includes a room that contains a treadmill, weights, pull-up bars and other equipment, and is open 24/7.

Deborah Lay, owner of The Body Factory Health & Fitness Center, 10785 S. U.S. 441 in Belleview, said she caters to public safety officials and first responders because she wants them to be on their toes when they are needed.

“We need them healthy and we need them to stay fit,” Lay said.

Lay said law enforcement officials and firefighters from throughout the city and county come to her gym. She offers them a discounted rate of $99, rather than the standard fee of $299 a year for membership.

“I want them to have access to our gym and for it to be affordable,” she said.

Lay said the gym has a variety of workout options and classes, and is open 24 hour a day.

“There’s something for everybody,” she said.

Testing physical abilities

Marion County Fire Rescue officials said research has shown the most common cause of firefighter injury or death is overexertion and stress.

The agency already provides health and wellness information on a monthly basis to improve eating habits, provides diverse exercise and recovery options, and provides contact hours with all employees to assist in personal and departmental goals. The agency also utilizes trained employees to assist with health and physical fitness goals.

Fire officials said they hope to have an additional Physical Abilities Testing, or PAT, incentive program in place by January.

“The goal of this program will be to produce a wide variety of fitness challengers for employees to participate in throughout each year,” said Support Services Division Chief Drew Rogers.

Rogers said PAT will allow “employees to demonstrate they have sufficient stamina, strength and agility to accomplish the critical job tasks.”

The test will be evaluated on a “pass/fail basis.”

"Events are individually timed and the candidate must complete the event in a specific time limit to advance to the next event. To pass, the candidate must not only successfully complete all 10 events within their respective time limits, but also obtain at least eight out of 10 possible points,” Rogers said.

If an employee has a medical problem that prevents him or her from testing, or refuses to take the PAT, the employee “will be relieved of duty and the evaluation will be postponed until they are cleared by the county clinic,” Rogers added.

SWAT training

Usually, if there is a high-risk search warrant, armed barricaded subject, act of terrorism or some type of critical response in the city or county, then a SWAT (special weapons and tactics) team is called in.

To be a member of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT Team, Capt. Jon Turner said, deputies must complete a course that includes a two-mile run and a series of exercises, such as pushups, situps and pullups, in less than 25 minutes.

“It’s a necessity to be on the team,” said Turner, the team commander.

Turner said team members train twice a month and practice different scenarios.

OPD's SWAT team commander, Lt. Robert Douglas, said members are required to run two miles and do pullups, situps and pushups in 20 minutes or less.

OPD SWAT team officers also train twice a month, with each session reserved for specialized maneuvers.

Both commanders said it is important that the officers and deputies constantly stay in shape so they can cope with the physical demands of being a SWAT team member.

“We’re looking for those who excel,” Douglas said.

Fitness on a budget

Dunnellon Police Department Chief Mike McQuaig said that with a tight budget, the agency does not have a gym or a fitness program. But, he said, all seven of his officers are up to the task and he has not had any complaints or had any of his officers not able to keep up with the pressures and demands of the job.

“They’re self-motivated to keep in shape,” McQuaig said.

He said one of his officers is a martial arts teacher.

McQuaig said he does have plans for a gym and fitness program in the near future.

Wellness and workouts

OPD Officer Jared Sieg said the agency has an employee wellness program that is “designed to incentivize and promote regular, vigorous physical activity.”

Sieg said the program includes of six exercises from the Cooper Institute and is conducted as needed throughout the year. Employees who participate in the assessment are eligible for up to 2.5 hours of on-duty exercise time per week to maintain and improve fitness.

“If the employee scores high enough, they can earn up to three additional vacation days for that calendar year,” Sieg said.

Sieg said employees who do not participate in the assessments can still use the gym and cardio rooms to exercise. He said since the program is designed to encourage fitness, there are “no penalties for not achieving the minimum standards.”

The gym at the OPD is open 24/7.

MCSO employees can participate in the county’s Health Happens Wellness program, in which participants are tracked during an eight-week step challenge. The goal is for the individual to walk 3,500 steps a day. In addition, each person goes to a doctor for a wellness exam and blood work. If successful in the challenge, the employee receives $300 off their health insurance.

The Sheriff’s Office has a gym open to employees 24/7 and a volunteer offers his expertise in weight training.

'Custom made' training

Ocala Fire Rescue officials said they follow the wellness-fitness initiative program of the joint International Association of Firefighters/International Association of Fire Chiefs. The program accommodates the needs of “new and veteran firefighters alike” and is “established and monitored by a peer fitness trainer,” said Chris Hickman, OFR fire equipment operator and peer fitness trainer/coordinator.

Hickman said the desire is to offer individual steps that help firefighters meet work demands while keeping them healthy and free from punitive measures.

He said the program is “custom made” to address individual needs and “firefighters are given ample time and opportunity to complete it.” The program is “ongoing,” except for “newly hired probationary employees" who do not have a completion date.

“The wellness-fitness initiative is not tied to an employee’s performance evaluation,” Hickman said, adding that the agency makes every attempt to help employees achieve their goals.

Hickman said if an employee has a disability and cannot perform his or her duties, they are offered professional medical care.

The K-9 grind

Sometimes chasing a suspect who has eluded law enforcement officials requires the assistance of a trained dog and handler who can stay on a track for miles. That means a K-9 handler has to be able to not only keep the dog on task, but walk or run for an extended period of time, often while navigating rough terrain.

OPD Sgt. Kyle Howie said a K-9 officer must be able to run a mile and a half in 13 to 15 minutes and do a number of situps and pushups at the end of the run. Each officer must be able to carry a 70 pound bag – simulating a dog’s weight – 140 yards to a fence and deliberately place the bag over the fence. If the bag is thrown over, the person is disqualified.

“We track with the dogs until they can’t go any further, so it’s imperative for handlers to stay in shape,” Howie said.

MCSO Sgt. Daniel Trammell said a K-9 handler with that agency has to run two and a half miles under 23 minutes and then do numerous situps and pushups in two minutes.

K-9 handlers from both departments train twice a month and are encouraged to train on their own to stay in shape.

Bomb squad basics

As with SWAT Team and K-9 handlers pursuing potential criminals, defusing an explosive device is equally dangerous.

Sgt. Eric Larson, supervisor of the MCSO Bomb Squad, said to be a member of the unit a candidate must run 100 yards wearing a helmet and vest.

In addition, while wearing a bomb suit with accessories, which weighs roughly 100 pounds, the candidate also must perform tasks such as crawl on his or her stomach and jog.

“You have to be strong and flexible enough to move around in the suit,” Larson said.

He said team members train twice a month.

PAT for troopers

FHP’s Physical Abilities Test for troopers includes a series of events that begin with the trooper seated in his or her cruiser, buckled in with hands on the steering wheel, and ends with firing his or her weapon and returning to the vehicle.

In between, the trooper is expected to complete a number of tasks, such as running 220 yards, climbing a wall, jumping hurdles and dragging a 150-pound dummy 100 feet.

“The PAT is to be conducted in a continuous flow manner that is time dependent in order to determine the participant’s level of physical condition and aerobic capacity,” according to FHP policy.

Aquatic fitness

MCSO Capt. Dennis Joiner, who is in charge of the agency’s Underwater Recovery Team, said potential divers must be able to swim one mile in 35 minutes and tread water for 15 minutes, the last five minutes without the use of hands.

The diver also is required to free dive, meaning without the assistance of any scuba equipment, to a depth of 15 feet, pick up a 15-pound object and bring it to shore.

“We swim to maintain our physical fitness,” Joiner said.

Endurance, strength and speed is a huge part of keeping an individual fit, Hays said, adding that by constantly pushing the body during strenuous workouts, it challenges the person and that the end result is critical for law enforcement and first responders.

“They need to be quicker, stronger and faster because their survival depends on it,” Hays said.

Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.