Firefighter credits 'strict' home routine, medical tests to stay alive well past retirement

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Mike Morlan, firefighter and district vice president at CAL FIRE 2881, joined Fox News Digital to speak about the importance of prioritizing health in the line of duty. America’s first responders put their lives on the line to protect their communities — and it shaves approximately 10 years off their life expectancy. Despite the inevitable risk, practicing healthy lifestyle habits can help to protect longevity, experts say. Mike Morlan, firefighter and district vice president at CAL FIRE 2881, spoke to Fox News Digital about prioritizing health in the line of duty. TWO KEY HEART HEALTH METRICS COULD DETERMINE HOW LONG YOU'LL LIVE "For me, it's personal," said the Sacramento firefighter of nearly 30 years. "I lost both my parents to cancer … and I learned early in my career that heart disease and cancer are what take firefighters out. "We don’t necess