Five Mt. Lebanon firefighters stood in the vehicle bay of the Washington Road Public Safety Center on a recent Wednesday morning, waiting for their workout to begin.

Chris Cerci, 42, a McKeesport firefighter, arrived shortly before 9 a.m. to lead the workout, a regimen he described as "functional fitness."

After just 20 minutes, the five firefighters had finished their workout and were dripping with sweat.

"This is a lot more about whole body strength, and it applies more to our jobs," said Mt. Lebanon Fire Chief Nick Sohyda.

The workout program, which focuses on core strength and conditioning, is known as CrossFit. The CrossFit company maintains a Web site with daily workouts, tips and message boards where devotees can share stories and talk about their progress.

Mr. Cerci, who is a Level 1 certified trainer with the program, started doing the workouts nearly two years ago. He said he's noticed a significant difference -- he feels healthier and stronger and he's better able to do his job.

Chief Sohyda approached Mr. Cerci, who competes in firefighter fitness competitions, about organizing workouts for his department in an attempt to mitigate some of the health risks, including stress, that firefighting can cause.

According to the United States Fire Administration, heart attacks were the most frequent cause of death in 2008 for American firefighters. Of 118 total deaths while on duty, 45 were caused by heart attacks.

Mindful of this, Chief Sohyda said he was looking for a workout program that could help members of his department handle their physically demanding profession. The Mt. Lebanon Fire Department, with 17 paid firefighters and 46 volunteers, responds to about 1,700 calls a year, Chief Sohyda said. Members fight an average of one fire a month in the municipality and assist other fire departments about once or twice a month.

When firefighters encounter a fire, they carry 60 pounds of equipment and breathing apparatus, face extreme heat conditions and work hard.

The workout regimen on this particular morning included barbell thrusts, walking lunges, a 200-meter run and swinging 8-, 25-, 35- or 55-pound kettle bells. These movements should help strengthen the firefighters to fight that next fire without feeling as tired, Mr. Cerci said.

He complimented Mt. Lebanon's fire department for seeking out new ways to stay in shape to get better at fighting fires and staying healthy.

Mt. Lebanon volunteer firefighter Tina Cook did the workout for the first time recently. Her fellow firefighters had been talking it up, so on Wednesday morning, she showed up in workout clothes to join in.

"I need to do something ... ," she said. "Who can't spare 20 minutes?"

The workout, which Mr. Cerci adjusted for Ms. Cook -- the only woman who participated -- wasn't as difficult as she had worried it would be, she said. But she'll probably do it every other day, not daily.

"I'm going to be hurting tomorrow, I'll tell you that," she said.

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