For men and women who serve as first responders— our firefighters, law enforcement officers, and EMTs— serious and high-risk occupational health impacts are often left unaddressed. Sadly, the consequences of these occupational traumas are often deadly. See what we’re doing about it PTSD and depression rates among firefighters and police officers have been found to be as much as five times higher than that of the general population.(3) 40% of police officers and firefighters are obese and 80% are overweight.(4) Occupational hazards like stress, sleep disruption, and shift work play a key role. Firefighters face a 9% increase in cancer diagnoses, and a 14% increase in cancer-related deaths, compared to the U.S. general population.(5) Cancer causes 70% of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters over their entire career.(5) A heart attack is the #1 killer of on-duty firefighters.(6) 40% of law enforcement officers have a sleep disorder, almost double the rate of the general population.(7, 8) Sudden cardiac death accounts for up to 10% of all U.S. on-duty law enforcement deaths. Risk of sudden cardiac death is up to 69X higher during high stress duties.(9) CCFM created theProtect Wellness program to combat the cycle of unaddressed trauma, illness, and death by improving the overall health and wellness of first responders nationwide. Given the unique job-related stresses and exposures to trauma, first responders are at high risk for developing PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, sleep disorders, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. It is critical that first responders have access to the education, support, and technology needed to protect their wellbeing, so they can continue to protect us. Nutrition We believe that food is medicine. That’s why our Whole Foods Nutritional Reset Module is a foundational part of our program. We teach you how simple choices can have profound effects on inflammation, immune function, and your body’s ability to detox from toxic exposures. Stress As a first responder, you and your team members routinely put yourselves in harm's way to protect the rest of society. The cumulative toll of stressful experiences builds over time, and research shows a clear connection to heart disease, cancer, brain disorders, suicide, and many other health conditions. We teach you simple and effective techniques to measure and decrease stress across many different spheres of life. With regular practice you will increasingly be able to shift your physiology on demand and function at your peak. Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of on-duty death for firefighters and police officers, and more than 70% of first responders are overweight. We combine education with coaching, technology, and cutting-edge advances in the science of health behavior change to facilitate success. Injury Prevention As a first responder, you are an industrial athlete. Your work requires high physical performance from your body, frequently on short notice and with high intensity burst activity. Common injuries include shoulder, neck, back, hips, and knees. Sleep and Circadian Disruption The schedule and demands of your chosen career mean that you will experience disrupted sleep and circadian rhythm. To help mitigate the risks of shift work, we provide you and your team with proactive education, coaching, support, and cutting edge technology to optimize your sleep. Cancer Prevention As a firefighter and first responder, you face significant occupational and environmental exposures to carcinogens. We help you decrease your risk of cancer through prevention education and comprehensive lifestyle change. We teach you to identify proven carcinogens, support you in making meaningful changes, and help you live an "anti-cancer" life. Emotional and Behavioral Health The rate of suicide, PTSD, and depression are much higher for first responders than that of the general population. Our program leverages cutting edge technology, neuroplasticity training, biofeedback, and peer support to help boost resilience and lower the toll from cumulative trauma exposure. Strength, Flexibility, and Mobility Physical training and movement education must include strength as well as exercises that are restorative and build resilience, in order to perform at your best and avoid dangerous injuries. To facilitate optimal physical performance, we place emphasis on core strengthening, mobility, and workouts that protect your body from costly injuries. Through personalized, collaborative, data-driven insights, our comprehensive care team is able to leverage the best of health technologies to provide you real-time decision-making and the best care. We believe that food is medicine. That’s why our Whole Foods Nutritional Reset Module is a foundational part of our program. We teach you how simple choices can have profound effects on inflammation, immune function, and your body’s ability to detox from toxic exposures. The schedule and demands of your chosen career mean that you will experience disrupted sleep and circadian rhythm. To help mitigate the risks of shift work, we provide you and your team with proactive education, coaching, support, and cutting edge technology to optimize your sleep. As a first responder, you and your team members routinely put yourselves in harm's way to protect the rest of society. The cumulative toll of stressful experiences builds over time, and research shows a clear connection to heart disease, cancer, brain disorders, suicide, and many other health conditions. We teach you simple and effective techniques to measure and decrease stress across many different spheres of life. With regular practice you will increasingly be able to shift your physiology on demand and function at your peak. As a firefighter and first responder, you face significant occupational and environmental exposures to carcinogens. We help you decrease your risk of cancer through prevention education and comprehensive lifestyle change. We teach you to identify proven carcinogens, support you in making meaningful changes, and help you live an "anti-cancer" life. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of on-duty death for firefighters and police officers, and more than 70% of first responders are overweight. We combine education with coaching, technology, and cutting-edge advances in the science of health behavior change to facilitate success. The rate of suicide, PTSD, and depression are much higher for first responders than that of the general population. Our program leverages cutting edge technology, neuroplasticity training, biofeedback, and peer support to help boost resilience and lower the toll from cumulative trauma exposure. As a first responder, you are an industrial athlete. Your work requires high physical performance from your body, frequently on short notice and with high intensity burst activity. Common injuries include shoulder, neck, back, hips, and knees. Physical training and movement education must include strength as well as exercises that are restorative and build resilience, in order to perform at your best and avoid dangerous injuries. To facilitate optimal physical performance, we place emphasis on core strengthening, mobility, and workouts that protect your body from costly injuries. When we began our wellness program with the Berkeley Fire Department (BFD) in 2016, we had big goals in mind. We wanted to build a program that could be a model for not just the BFD, but for fire departments at large. So, we built our program to: As a first responder, our society relies on you to protect us. In gratitude, CCFM is proud to offer the Protect Wellness program to help protect you. Protect Wellness combines cutting edge functional medicine, health coaching, and technology with data science, and the science of health behavior change. Our singular goal is to help you live the longest and healthiest life possible. Beats per minute (9%) decrease in resting heart rate Increase in heart rate variability (HRV) Increase in deep sleep Decrease in the time it took to fall asleep Decreased in perceived stress Decrease in body fat mass in pounds Decrease in body fat percentage Decrease in hemoglobin A1C 
Suicide Kills More Firefighters and Law Enforcement Officers Each Year than Other Line-of-duty Deaths.(1, 2)
5x
40%
Firefighters
70%
#1
Law Enforcement
40%
69x
Our Approach
Identified Exposures and Toxins Relevant to the First Responder Industry
Results That Speak For Themselves
With Protect Wellness, Participants Demonstrated
8
22%
36%
35%
28%
20%
16%
0.3%
Fire Departments We Have Worked With
Organizations We Support
We are passionate about helping to protect those who protect us, and we work with first responders across the nation. Our unique program is built for teams large and small, is easily scalable, and can be implemented as a pilot or a large scale departmental intervention. We look forward to answering any questions you have.Learn More About Our First Responder Program
Thank you for protecting our communities. We can help protect you.
