All Blog Posts Tagged 'firefighters' (36)

“I just don’t understand the kids being hired these days.” How many times have we all heard this? I am sure too many times to count. Chances are that it is usually being said by an officer who is trying to lead these newly hired firefighters. There is a fairly good chance that the same thing was said when that person entered the fire service as well. In this article, I will discuss a few areas that officers seem to struggle to connect with their newer…

By: Stan Popovich

You are a firefighter and you are the end of your rope, and you can't take it any much longer. You are suffering from anxiety, depression, guilt or some other fear related issue and you feel there is no hope. Although things may seem difficult suicide is not the answer to your personal struggles.

Here are six reasons why suicide is not the solution to your problems.

Things Change Over…

Thomas Jefferson once said, “With great risk comes great reward.”  There are numerous rewards and incentives of being a firefighter. We are revered and respected members of our communities, the emotional rewards are boundless, and we are granted a lifetime membership into a brotherhood that is linked to firehouses all around the world.  But, as with most things in life, great rewards are often generated from great risk.  In order for something to be classified…

Being a firefighter isn’t like other jobs. Where mistakes in other professions might mean a person gets their meal cold, their paperclips late or the wrong shoes, when mistakes happen in firefighting the problems can be a lot more serious. There are, after all, lives on the line. For that reason, it’s important that you make sure that you learn quickly and learn…

     Every adversity you and the team you are leading will ever encounter is either a problem or an opportunity. Although one might think there are many different variables that would distinguish one from the other, there is really only one difference between the two – YOUR ATTITUDE. That’s right. Often times the difference between a problem and an opportunity has everything to do with how you look at the challenge at hand.

     Opportunities…

This one hits close to home…Pat Taaffe is a friend of mine and fellow fireman for St. Johns County Fire Rescue. Pat is assigned to Engine 12 C and we are both in the same battalion. I’ve known Pat for many years and can remember him riding with us on Squad 17 after he came to St. Johns County. He has dedicated over 20 years to the fire…

I have had a of of requests for quick workouts that can be done with minimal equipment.  Here is a re-post of one of my more popular cardio interval workouts I created for a firefighter/medic that has no equipment and only some stairs and a parking lot. This can be used as a cardio interval training workout day (for those following the FRF Rapid Fat Loss or FRF…

This topic is near and dear to mine and your hearts and careers–Workouts for Firefighters and Fire Rescue Athletes. Over the last couple of months I’ve been researching, talking, tweaking and writing about some of the more popular workouts seen in firehouses across the world. 

Welcome to Grandview FD, Vinnie Cappaletti

“Son of a *****!” was all that Jake could say.

“Excuse me?” asks Vinnie.

“Didn’t Mommy teach you how to knock?” an irritated Jake asks.

“You don’t have a door on…

Meet Michael Jacob (Jake) O’Melia

 Grandview is a town of twenty-seven thousand, Northeastern coast inhabitants. There are several bustling businesses on both sides of Main Street in the downtown business district.

Of particular interest is Hermie’s General Store. When you walk through the front doors at Hermie’s, you step back in time. The floors are hardwood and…

The Adventures of Jake and Vinnie© was conceived in 2004.

It started as an idea while I was writing for the IACOJ. We thought that it would boost membership and readership.

I encouraged the members at the time to submit their biographies to me with the promise of creating a fictional character that I would introduce into the story lines of various episodes.

Interest was high. I had several biographies to choose from and the characters that would populate The…

You’ve heard them all. Maybe you’ve even said some of these things. I’m talking about fire service staples like, “Don’t worry kid, this is just a routine fire,” – “All you have to do it put the wet stuff on the red stuff,” – “Stay in until you can’t stay in anymore,” – “Because that’s the way we’ve always done it,” – “Keep your mouth shut probie,” – “Books don’t put fires out. Why are you wasting your time reading that?”…

One of the best ways to incorporate fireground movements into your workouts is to perform what I call "10-minute interval overhauls."  These are 10 minutes of intervals that can vary in work and rest times that are performed after your strength training sessions.  You can read more about these "interval overhauls" by clicking here or see how to integrate them into an actual…

As I prepare for another weekend of travel teaching Tactical Extrication, I am already thinking of how much I will miss my wife and two young children. While traveling, this feeling arrives like clockwork. Then I had an epiphany. My thoughts instantly went to our troops and their families. I am leaving for a couple days to teach something that I am very passionate about, as…

Plank (s)—It's no surprise that the one of the exercises on this list is a core exercise.   Back…

Sunday started out like most other Sundays.

I got up, went to my Room of Reflection and when I was through reflecting, I flushed and proceeded to wash my hands thoroughly with warm water and soap.…

We have to distrust each other. It is our defense against betrayal. – Tennessee Williams

Much has been written about the motivations of firefighters.

Though there may be different reasons for why some choose to be full-time, while others are paid-on-call or volunteer; all firefighters CHOOSE to serve the public. The frequency of the…

The Arizona State Forester today released the Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation Report, which analyzes the circumstances leading to the June 30 entrapment and deaths of 19 firefighters of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew. The report and accompanying documents are available at https://sites.google.com/site/yarnellreport/.

The State of Arizona convened an accident investigation team…