Fire crews compete at KCC for Mo-vember men’s health awareness

INFO BOX:

A 24-hour confidential mental health crisis hotline is available at 9-8-8.

For more resources visit http://www.kbbh.org or http://www.healthyklamath.org

KLAMATH FALLS — Firefighters from as far away as Chiloquin gathered at Klamath Community College (KCC) Tuesday, Nov. 28 for a friendly timed physical challenge – part of month-long competitions coordinated in recognition of “No-Shave November,” or “Mo-vember,” efforts to raise awareness about men’s physical and mental health.

Launched in partnership with Healthy Klamath and Klamath Basin Behavioral Health (KBBH) in 2019, the annual firefighter-themed obstacle course was the last of multiple contests held among regional fire and police departments competing for bragging rights, and to support charitable causes related to men’s cancer screenings and mental health support. Each partner – local police, firefighters, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and Kingsley Field – offered up direct competition with their physical aptitude tests to see how each first responder agency measured up against others.

“We have done this the last couple years,” said Jenn Scott, prevention and outreach coordinator for KBBH. “We asked people from fire crews and Healthy Klamath to compete today as a way to raise awareness about prostate and testicular cancer, as well as the importance of men’s physical and mental health.”

Part of a global movement held every November to raise awareness and money for charity, participants are encouraged to grow moustaches for November and do their part to share information and resources for suicide prevention and cancer screenings.

According to Scott, nine out of every 10 suicides in Klamath County are male, and much of her efforts are to try to overcome the stigma associated with seeking help or not wanting to talk through problems. In the past year Scott has spearheaded an effort to launch a new 24-hour confidential mental health crisis hotline – 9-8-8 – available for residents to call if having suicidal thoughts, or if they know individuals who may be experiencing a mental health

crisis and need to talk through it.

“There are a lot of things that happen, and people need to talk about them, but there’s a stigma, especially with men that they can’t talk about it,” explained Jessica Kostick, community engagement manager for Healthy Klamath. “Bringing KBBH on board and relaying all of the resources available is super-helpful, especially now that the 9-8-8 hotline is running. All of these agencies have various physical tests they have to complete for their jobs, so we thought it would be fun to engage our local agencies with some friendly competition against each other.”

The KCC Fire Science program was approached to help coordinate the event three months ago; the ideal local location for it thanks to the recently opened KCC Apprenticeship Center which features state-of-the-art fire science training facilities.

“Today they are completing the Candidate Physical Agility Test (CPAT), which is a standardized test we mimic for Mo-vember to simulate real-world exercises firefighters might have to complete during an emergency” said Gary Denney, KCC’s structural fire program lead. “Our students are out here participating as assistants and leads to help our community partners.”

KCC Fire Science cadets had already completed their CPAT the previous week; their times used as comparative standards for the active firefighters and the handful of brave Healthy Klamath staff that also chose to take on the challenge.

The six-part challenge included a fire hose pull, a sprint up KCC’s four-story fire tower with a coiled hose, pulling a coiled hose on a rope from ground level to the top of the tower, sledgehammering a steel block a certain distance, 15 overhead lifts of a heavy bar, and finally a lift-and-drag safety pull of a weighted dummy around cones. The top firefighter times completed the arduous course in under 4 minutes, while Healthy Klamath staffers who gave it a go finished typically in the 7- to 8-minute range.

“On a local level Sky Lakes (Medical Center) has a wonderful cancer check guide people can access, and we encourage people to call 9-8-8 if they are experiencing or know someone who is having a mental health emergency” added Scott. “We are asking people to do something as simple as ask how others are doing, and that it’s okay to not be okay – but it’s not okay to not seek help or ignore warning signs in others.”

The Mo-vember activities will culminate at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, with a public moustache competition at the Klamath Yacht Club, where winners of the month-long physical challenges will also be announced, along with various prizes, raffles, and information about men’s health.

For more information about suicide prevention and other services available visit http://www.kbbh.org or http://www.healthyklamath.org.