Firefighters and police officers routinely run toward trouble when others are running away, but that stress takes a toll on their health.
The average life expectancy of a police officer is 10 years less than the average American, according to research done by Dr. John Violanti.
Heart attacks, not burns or injuries, are the No. 1 cause of on-duty death in firefighters.
Furthermore, for every fatal on-duty heart attack, there are 17 non-fatal firefighter heart attacks (International Association of Fire Fighters).