All Blog Posts Tagged 'firefighter' (202)

If you have ran many entrapments, there is a high probability that you have experienced a trapped foot or two. Even with a dash displacement completed, many times the feet are still stuck in or under the pedals. So what are our options? 

 Hydraulic Cutters-too large, space too…

They are questions that are often asked by both those wishing to be a firefighter and by those trying to understand why someone would be a firefighter: what does it take and why do you do it?

I will often reach back into my past and resurrect some of the mental tools that I used during my time as a firefighter. It is a characteristic that is so ingrained into your being that it is yours’ to be used for the rest of your…

Fitness testing – a necessary Good?

Back in 2009, I was 45, had served 22 years as an Operational Firefighter, and was (JUST) passing the one mandatory fitness test a year to stay employed.

This was a bleep test, and I needed to hit 8.0 to pass it, but could look…

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…

When it comes to extrication tools, cutter torque is one of the most “common” and avoidable causes of catastrophic tool failures. In this week’s “Quick Tip”, we are covering an option to help in recognizing/preventing cutter torque in areas that the cutter blades are hard to visualize. There are a many strong points on a vehicle…

Individual commitment to a group effort – that’s what makes a team work.

~Vince Lombardi

Firefighters are athletes.                                       

                                                                                                                                                                            Specifically, we are tactical athletes. With that…

Retirement, it’s a word that is used to formally say you’re transitioning from the active duty as a firefighter to “civilian” life.  For some it’s a dream, for others it may be a curse.  Sadly, some will never see it.

When I started out, I know it would happen someday.  That someday was far off in my dreams.  I wanted to do this job for as long as I can and they would have to force me to go.  That was…

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.

 …

When it comes to extrication, there are as many techniques as you can possibly think of, each with a fancier name than the next. This week’s quick tip is covering tunneling vs. cracking the egg. In both situations, the vehicle is roof resting and you will have extremely limited access to the vehicle sides. The better technique is all in personal opinion. Through extensive training on both I have chosen what works best for me and here is why.…

Every year around September 11th I like to take a moment and reflect on the significance of the day and honor those that sacrificed (and continue to sacrifice to this day).  I encourage you to do this workout, share your results and challenge others to do the same, at least once a year (on September 11th).    This "tribute" workout is difficult but has a great significance…

Funny; You Don’t Look Like a Glow Worm!

Episode #9

Sidney (Sid Vicious) Wilkerson grew up in the flatlands of North Central Ohio. Sid was born into the third generation of firefighters in his family. His granddad was a volunteer firefighter in Sid’s hometown of Coffey, Ohio. His dad retired as an assistant chief from the Lucas County, Ohio Fire Department. Sid’s brother is riding rigs in Cincinnati as an engine company…

Its been very well documented that the leading cause of  firefighter-on-duty deaths is related to heart disease. Therefore any information regarding decreasing the chances of heart disease are very valuable to the firefighting community. I’ve recently been researching the correlation between cholesterol and heart disease and have found some interesting correlations.

The long-established dietary recommendations of yesterday have created epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the…

During many of my Tactical Extrication Courses, students will occasionally come across compressed airbag cylinders located throughout the vehicle. Anyone who has taken one of my classes knows that I always push peeling back plastic and exposing posts/pillars to check for airbag cylinders. So what happens when you run across…

At this point in the "Quick Tip" series we have covered many different methods and extrication tactics. If you haven't been following, take a look back and review many of the dash displacement methods in this series. While teaching Tactical Extrication Courses, students typically get the dash lift down pretty quickly. However, when the vehicle is on…

Do you workout on shift?  Should you workout on shift and what is the best workout to perform?  How do you schedule your workouts around your shifts or calls?

This is a major concern for the fire rescue athlete.  On one hand we know we should be working out to stay and get fit for duty. Yet , if we burn out in the gym we won't be able to perform when it…

Are you a self-proclaimed leader? This doesn’t work (sorry to all the self proclaimed leaders out there). Sure, you can think your leader material, but if you’re the only one who thinks this way then you’re in for a big surprise.

So you’ve taken a few leadership classes, you attended conferences and heard experienced fire service members speak on the various topics surrounding leadership, and maybe even read some books written by experts. Are you now a leader? You may want to…

While riding the Squad yesterday, I worked an extrication involving a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser that was struck from behind on I95. The trooper was investigating a MVC that we responded to and cleared about an hour prior. After thinking about the circumstances, I thought there's no better time to cover an important part of roadway…

                        Photo courtesy of The First Twenty

If you think a personal change in your level of health and fitness does not have an impact, I’d like you to meet…