Investing in First Responder Wellness Leads to Monumental Cost-Savings

By Kara Pogue, O2X Contributing Writer

First responders continually risk their lives for our communities. At any given moment they are willing to lay their life on the line for the wellbeing of others. It should go without saying that, in return, investments into the health and wellness of first responders are entirely worth the cost.

Of course, we can’t ignore fiscal restraints when determining what programs should be delivered to first responder communities. But, what if I told you that investing in first responder health and wellness could actually save departments money?

Hard to believe, but the numbers speak for themselves, and they show that departments who have partnered with O2X Human Performance are saving a significant amount of money. Here’s how they do it:

O2X provides customized wellness programs for public safety departments, the military, and federal agencies. Their services include consulting, in-person training and education, On-Site Specialists, Readiness Assessments, and cutting edge online tools. These programs are customized for every mission, size, and need, and are helping departments across the country increase productivity, health, and well-being, while saving money in the process.

Take for example, Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) in Virginia. ACFD partnered with O2X Human Performance in April 2021, staffing a full time Human Performance Specialist on site. This initiative allowed ACFD to provide health and wellness training to members of the department with the goal of decreasing injury, increasing job readiness, building mentally and physically resilient Firefighters, and improving the overall well-being of the department.

Working with O2X and on-site specialist Trevor Sheasley, ACFD has an expected cost-savings of $474,707 in 2022. That includes approximately $54,000 savings in chronic back pain recovery, $315,000 savings with three members return-to-work after passing METs standards, and $105,770 savings from a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease based on body fat percentage.