Firefighters Drop 175 Pounds

Forget "The Biggest Loser." Fairfax City's got its own group of weight-loss celebrities.

Congrats to the Fairfax City Fire Department for losing 175 pounds over the winter. The A shift lost both the most weight and the most fat, some 106 pounds total. Jeremy Whelpley of the B shift won an overall prize for biggest individual winner.

"Every one of us reads each day about the health challenges we face on the incident scene and as a lifelong profession," said Fire Chief Dave Rohr. "It is through education and dedication to doing the right things we can manage our risks and make it a cultural change across our department.

Max Muscle Sports Nutrition of Fairfax pitted fire department shifts against each other in a quest to help avoid gaining the 5-10 pounds many Americans gain during the winter. The "Maintain, Don't Gain Challenge" ended in February.

Most of the department participated, including 84 firefighters, medics, administrative personnel, inspectors and volunteers.

The A shift will get a healthy dinner courtesy of Coyote Grille for their success. Whelpley won a $250 gift certificate.

All winners will be featured in "Max Sports & Fitness magazine," a nationwide health and fitness monthly magazine.

"It was an opportunity to give back to our local heroes by providing free body composition analysis, nutritional seminars at the fire station, and ongoing education to individual fire department personnel and their families," said Kristin Wood, owner of Max Muscle Sports Nutrition.

The program was offered at no cost to firefighters.

What’s next?  The department and Max Muscle Sports Nutrition are teaming for the “Spring Into Shape Challenge,” a follow-up 12-week program to build on the department’s already strong results.