The OC Firefighters Local 3631 strives to ensure long-term firefighter health and wellness. Why? Because your physical wellbeing are crucial to high performance on the job. We also recognize that your specialized skills and knowledge provide an essential community-wide service. What you do saves lives. However, the sheer nature of the physical demands required of you dramatically raises your own personal health risk.

That’s why Local 3631 makes your personal health a priority.

Heart attacks are the #1 killer of firefighters. Among the most prevalent preventable health risks to those serving the fire industry is tobacco use. While tobacco use varies by district and jurisdiction, with an ample supply of profession-induced stress factors, smoking within the fire service industry averages around 15%. Nationwide, more than 48 million Americans smoke yet of them, 70% want to quit, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Millions of Americans will make the resolution to quit smoking—and, 1.3 million of them will quit successfully. OC Firefighters hopes that you will be one of them.

“Quitting smoking is easy,” once said Mark Twain. “I’ve quit a thousand times.”

The fact is, it’s not easy to quit. Even though 70 percent of smokers say they want to quit, they go on smoking because nicotine is an insidious addiction.  

Call your doctor today and inquire about the new treatments available.
Consult your health plan for the smoking cessation benefits available to you. Many offer varying levels of smoking cessation support and treatments and quit-related benefits. Research shows that smokers who quit with assistance and support from a physician have higher rates of success. Even patients who received only minimal instruction and encouragement from their doctor showed improved "quitting" results.

Your doctor can give you the medical facts regarding the effects of cigarettes, tell you the benefits of quitting, and can prescribe some of the latest quit-smoking medications.

The Facts on Health and Wellness Benefits Coverage
Today many businesses, agencies, and municipalities are scrambling for ways to cut expenses and increase their bottom line. By helping employees to quit smoking many businesses will have direct and sizeable cost savings in the long run.

Despite—or perhaps because of—economic challenges facing businesses of all kinds and sizes, the percentage of companies with smoking cessation benefits is expected to increase to 55 percent from 46 percent this year. Additionally, employers and insurance plans could save up to $210 per year for every covered smoker who quits.

Providing treatments and tools as a fully-covered, comprehensive insurance benefit increases the likelihood of quit success, directly translating to a healthier, happier and more productive workplace.

The Workplace Benefits when it’s a Smoke Free Environment
There are a lot of benefits associated with a smoke-free workplace. Plain and simple, when employees smoke less, or not at all, productivity is greater and morale goes up.

Then there’s the actual economics of it. One study on the costs of smoking shows that in California in 1999, the indirect costs due to lost productivity from smoking-related illnesses were $1.5 billion. Medical expenditures for smokers are approximately one-third higher than those for nonsmokers.

The fact is that wworker’s who smoke can negatively impact the bottom line, according to national studies:

• Smokers have higher absenteeism rates, averaging 34 percent more absences from work than non-smokers.
• Smokers are 29 percent more likely to have industrial accidents and 40 percent more likely to suffer injuries at work. This translates into higher health insurance, life insurance, and workers’ compensation claims.
• 6 percent to 12 percent of health and welfare fund costs are for treating smoking-related illnesses.
• Health and fire insurance premiums can be 25 percent to 35 percent lower for smoke-free businesses. 

There’s no doubt that a healthy workforce makes economic sense for businesses, employees and the community. That’s why OC Firefighters Local 3631 is committed to fostering healthy lifestyles.

By: Patricia Alvarez-Sahagun
Director, Advocacy and Professional Relations
Western Region
Pfizer Inc

213-598-8795 phone
patricia.alvarez-sahagun@pfizer.com