This. I am particularly shocked at what I see in the volunteer fire companies. Don't get me wrong, it is commendable what these guys do for no pay ... you don't see me running into a burning building or pulling bloodied bodies out of car wrecks for no pay!! But good god, some of the ones I have seen turn out for calls in my neighborhood I wonder if there should be a second ambulance on standby for when these very seriously overweight first responders keel over from a heart attack.
I work in a school and we have officers from the local constabulary assigned to our building. There's one of two of the regular officers who would probably make good candidates for a calendar, the rest of them ... man, I hope they don't have to chase someone.
I totally agree. The irony of people in emergency services being obese is inescapable. I suppose the stress of their lives makes them overeat; that would be understandable in a sense. Still, it can be tough if other depend on an obese person to save them.
I look at American society and despair; how did we get to a point where so many people are so fat? It's because we market all kinds of crap and our culture has evolved ( or devolved) into one of such ease that we don't do physical labor any more.
That animated movie "Wall-E" a couple of years ago pegged it. In it, fat people are in some kind of space station and all they do is sit in chairs, eat fast food, drink sodas, and watch tv. It's a real indictment of American culture.
On more important issues (!), I believe all firemen should be required to wear jockstraps to work, and to change in the firehouse so every one of them gets a good glimpse at his buds.