Welcome to the Sleep Assistance for Firefighters (SAFFIRE) Study!
Fire service workers face a heightened risk of sleep disturbances, with nearly half of career firefighters reporting insufficient sleep and poor sleep quality. Sleep issues—such as insufficient, irregular, and disrupted sleep—are closely linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Alarmingly, about 1 in 4 firefighters are at a borderline, intermediate, or high risk of experiencing an atherosclerotic CVD event over a ten-year period.
The good news is that improving sleep quality can have a significant positive impact on heart health. The American Heart Association now recommends treating sleep disorders as a key strategy for preventing hypertension, which is a major contributor to CVD.
The SAFFIRE study is designed to address these challenges by introducing and evaluating an evidence-based, workplace sleep fitness program tailored specifically for uniformed fire service members. The goal of the program is to reduce sleep disturbances, change the sleep health culture in the fire service, and expand our understanding of how to successfully implement and sustain workplace sleep health interventions.