The First Twenty's Blog – September 2015 Archive (5)

Recognizing Suicide Warning Signs in Firefighters and EMTs

Behavioral health is a key component of an overall firefighter health and wellness program. Unfortunately, it is a difficult subject to discuss – many factors affect a firefighter’s ability to understand when a fellow brother or sister is suffering, but that does not make it any less critical an issue.

By far, the number one comment…

A Fitness Transformation

Many have shared their personal fitness journeys here over the past few months, so I thought it would be appropriate to share mine as well. We all have started in different places and begun for different reasons, but our end goal is all the same. To improve our functional fitness and to be become the best firefighter we can possibly be.



I have been on and off the…

DO YOU KNOW THE MONSTER WITHIN?

You’re a hard charging, fire eating, “truck-ape”. You’re not scared of anything. As a matter of fact, you fight what we fear. You tell your friends your job is snatching lives from the jaws of death. You’re a firefighter’s firefighter, and you’re damn proud of it.

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Who are You Letting Down?

Before you read any further read this article by Captain Steve Heidbreder.

I don’t know…

Fitness in the Firehouse

According to the CDC heart disease is the leading killer in the United States. Additionally we know according to NIOSH, and the United States Fire Administration that the leading cause of fire service Line of Duty Deaths (LODD) is heart and cerebrovascular diseases (heart attack and stroke). While many factors play a part in these diseases physical fitness plays a huge role in…