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ON INLANDER.COM

Some fires to put out
As Spokane's new fire chief, Brian Schaeffer has a few big challenges he'll need to deal with.

The omega-3 code
How omega-3 fatty acids could possibly stave off the impacts of dementia and depression.


IN OTHER NEWS

Washington's biggest mental health system
A prisoner with a habit of self-harming gets $92,000 from the state resulting from a pair of lawsuits over his treatment. (Spokesman-Review)

It's fun to rebuild on the site of the YWCA
A developer wants to put up multi-use towers in a $60 million project on the north bank of the Spokane River, where the old YWCA building used to be. (Spokesman-Review)

Assault on the free press
Important notice to Montana politicians: You can body-slam a reporter the day before the election, and you'll still be elected. (New York Times)

Turkish thuggery in D.C.
The New York Times goes through a frame-by frame analysis to prove that the Turkish president's bodyguards attacked and beat protesters last week in Washington, D.C.

Brian Schaeffer was only eight months old when a flame from a scented candle lit the fire that could have killed him. Schaeffer was in his crib in a mobile home in Freeburg, Illinois, when the candle caused the drapes to catch fire.

And he was alone. His adoptive mother was across the street, borrowing something from a neighbor.

"When I say [my introduction to the fire department] literally started as an infant, it literally started as an infant in every sense of the word," Schaeffer says.

Yesterday, Mayor David Condon — in a widely expected move —  appointed the longtime local firefighter Spokane's fire chief. Schaeffer had been serving as the interim chief ever since the retirement of former Chief Bobby Williams.

In his office, Schaeffer takes the yellowed 1971 Freeburg Tribune newspaper clipping and describes the horror that his adoptive dad, a firefighter himself, experienced while riding on the fire truck that day.

"The fire truck is taking a left. The fire truck is taking a right. And another left. And you're thinking, 'Oh, this is in my area of town. Oh, this is in my neighborhood,'" Schaeffer says. "And then you pull up, and your newborn infant and your wife [are] involved in this pretty significant fire. "

One of his neighbors, John Long, rushed into the mobile home to save Schaeffer. He would later be treated for smoke inhalation. One of the other firefighters suffered a burn from the blaze. And the family wound up homeless.

"The money, the checkbooks, everything was destroyed," Schaeffer says. "It was really a devastating situation."

As he discussed the honor it was to be appointed chief in front of Downtown's Fire Station 1 yesterday, Schaeffer described his 28 years working as a firefighter that brought him to this point.

"The journey hasn't been without great sacrifice for myself and my family," Schaeffer says from the podium, as he begins to break down in tears. "I want to acknowledge and thank my wife for forgiving me for hundreds of missed meals, vacations, races and sometimes even promises, when my responsibilities at the fire department pulled me away. I would never have made it without you."

As Schaeffer officially takes the reins, he'll continue as the head of a department that is in the midst of change. As buildings have become more resistant to fire and as the population continues to age, the profession of firefighting has moved away from responding primarily to burning buildings and toward responding to medical emergencies.

That's true for firefighters across the country. But there are a few issues in Spokane, in particular, that Schaeffer has to grapple with:

1. Save the 48 grant-funded firefighters before the SAFER grant expires

The $9 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant the fire department received last September was enough to hire 48 new firefighters. For a department that had been understaffed for years, and was lagging behind the industry standard for response times, the new staffers came with a sigh of relief.

"I feel strongly that that's the minimum," Schaeffer says.

But the grant came attached to a ticking clock; it only lasted two years. Once the two years runs out, the department has to face the prospect of firing those new firefighters.

Better brains with omega-3s
By now you’ve heard that omega-3 fatty acids are implicated in better metabolism and improving our heart health. But a new study shows they may also be implicated in warding off a decline in brain function. “This is very important research because it shows a correlation between lower omega-3 fatty acid levels and reduced brain blood flow to regions important for learning, memory, depression and dementia,” said the study’s lead author. Good sources of omega-3s include salmon, tuna and flaxseed oil.

Here's a list of foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids.


Natural help for high blood sugar?
Millions of people are considered “pre-diabetic” meaning their blood sugar runs a little too high, but not quite high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. Exercise and diet can often help prevent that progression, and so can some common herbs, and one spice in particular: cinnamon.

Read more about the Spice of Life in this story from our InHealth archives.


Runny nose and itchy mouth?
If you have seasonal allergies, you may find some fruits produce a weird sensation in your mouth during certain times of the year. This “oral allergy syndrome” is the result of ingesting a food that contains a protein similar in structure to the pollens that provoke an individual’s sneezing and red eyes. This cross-reactivity occurs in predictable patterns: spring tree allergies are linked with cherries, apples and pears, while summer grass allergies go with reactions to watermelon and cantaloupe. Cooking or peeling a fruit before eating may help, but check with an allergist if symptoms occur when eating nuts.

For more health-related information, check out the current issue of InHealth.