Airdrie Firefighters risk their lives everyday in an effort to save others, but in order to do their job they must remain healthy.

Due to carcinogens and other toxins within the smoke, firefighters run the risk of cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory disease over the course of their career.

Garth Rabel, Airdrie Deputy Fire Chief said that within their division, the members health is extremely important.

"We have a wellness team of certified instructors which are firefighters and they work with their platoons and their membership to ensure heart, mind, and soul wellness."

In addition to in house wellness programs, each firefighter must have a bi-annual physical that is done at the Calgary Fire Department Wellness Center. 

If firefighters are exposed to anything that could cause concern, Rabel said there is a fire exposure reporting process that allows everything to be documented.

If medical concerns present themselves in the future, the fire exposure report will allow a medical professional to determine if one of the incidents could have lead to the change in health.

The other major concern for firefighters is stress and post traumatic stress, that in some cases can be debilitating.

Rabel said that the fire service is only just scratching the surface for training and treatment for stress related concerns.

"It's baby steps in some areas and we've taken bounds in others, so we're very proud of the fact that our wellness team is working with their peers."

By taking steps to ensure firefighter health, the gap is closing on the number of job related deaths for firefighters after they retire.