All Blog Posts Tagged 'firefighter' (202)

Today I want to give you a taste of the type of workouts that you will find in the Ultimate Fire Athlete Workout and it comes with great timing and a lot of significance... The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation provides resources and funding (via grants and donations) towards remembering our fallen and protecting our current firefighters.  This "tribute" workout is…

When it comes to extrications involving "big rigs" our methods must change due to vehicle size, load, and weight. This leads into the X Method for stabilizing tractor trailers (rolling). Obviously if lifting is involved then struts, more cribbing, etc. will be used. I will often see crews attempting to control horizontal movement (rolling) by small wedges or chalks. After training one of the ways we found to increase stabilization on the horizontal plane is with (2)…

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

Do you remember your first day? Fresh out of drill school, your first shift? Walking in the bay, the smell of the tinge of diesel exhaust, the smell of the turnout gear in the lockers. The sudden realization that the controlled scenarios have now ended, the decisions you make may have very permanent results and that the danger is now even more real than ever…

Do you currently stage your equipment/tools on extrications? If not, it is a great method to reduce extrication times. Far too often, we see rescuers going back to the apparatus to get additional equipment throughout the call. My driver is the tool runner. After we start operations, he will continue to bring the tools, light the scene, and fill in where needed. Stage the tools you may need for the rescue at hand, it will greatly increase your overall scene time.…

I get a lot of requests to come up with workouts that can be performed on duty with equipment found at the firehouse. The other day, my crew and I performed this intensive 30 minute interval workout.  This workout will get your heart racing, challenge your core and work your muscles.

The workout consists of three, 10 minute intervals each with a different focus.  The first 10 minutes focuses on anaerobic recovery, the second ten minutes on full body strength and the last ten…

I get a lot of requests to come up with workouts that can be performed on duty with equipment found at the firehouse. The other day, my crew and I performed this intensive 30 minute interval workout.  This workout will get your heart racing, challenge your core and work your muscles.

The workout consists of three, 10 minute intervals each with a different focus.  The first 10 minutes focuses on anaerobic recovery, the second ten minutes on full body strength and the last ten…

In March of 2011, I posted Maple City Sorrow on the anniversary of the death of…

Are you bored with your current exercise routine or looking to try something new? Are you working out at the station or at home and want to focus on the most beneficial piece of equipment money can buy? Then check this out: The kettlebell will change your workout dynamic completely.

The kettlebell can date its history back in one form or another to the 1700’s and began to be heavily relied upon in Soviet Training programs in the early 1900’s. The…

We know we don't spend every waking hour at the firehouse running calls or training or working out. There typically is some down time during your shift or rotation.

As a prospective officer candidate and informal leader, what you do with your down time can make a huge difference in how you are perceived and what separates you from others interested in promoting up.

I have seen firefighters spend hours on end looking on the internet for cars, car parts, campers, motorcycles and…

Fad diets and “miraculous” pills continue to be a huge market because people still want weight loss to be quick and a small amount of effort. Luckily, the market is getting smaller and people are becoming more aware on the issue thanks to the spread of information, but it has still not been a strong enough force to make the diet pill obsolete. Desiring to lose weight or make a lifestyle change is a fantastic thing, and can have a drastic impact on your life and your career as a firefighter.…

Here we go again.

By now, we know way too much about the coward with anger management issues who killed a dozen innocent people yesterday at the DC Navy Yard.  I won't repeat his name.

Someone said he never got over "his demons" working at Ground Zero immediately following the 9/11 attacks.  Boy, that sure sucks, eh?

In my opinion, we give these criminals way too much coverage.  They don't deserve our attention.  I'll keep it clean…

Another year has come and gone, and we firefighters have paused to remember the brave 343 who gave their lives on that spectacularly horrific morning in Manhattan.  We re-live the nightmare by peering at images from that crisp morning, reading gut-wrenching stories from survivor families, and admiring the ceremonies, plaques, and walls of remembrance.

It is right that we do this.

And, even without the t-shirts, helmet stickers and seemingly parroted rote…

Fire Rescue Athletes (firefighters, EMTs and paramedics) must be physically ready to act. The job entails lifting heavy objects (or people), climbing up stairs, dragging hoseline, hoisting ladders, along with other physically taxing movements. It is evident that in order to effectively do our jobs we must have a strong, balanced body. Workouts and especially exercises must then match the demands of the job and prepare the body for such stress.…

Note: I wasn’t going to post a blog until after FDIC, but then I watched BC Michael Walker’s address on livestream and it really struck a chord. He spoke to the very essence of what it is to call yourself “fireman”, the strong bond between firefighters and what our communities expect when they call us.…

Are you at your strongest when others may be at their weakest?

Do you study your enemy to find its weaknesses?

Do you practice your fighting skills until you can’t…

What do you need for survival?  I’m not talking about your phone, technology or a certain person; I mean what does your body need to survive?  If you said food you would be correct… the single most important thing you need to focus on at that point is what to eat.…