All Blog Posts Tagged 'mental' (34)

YOU matter more than you know!



Many national and local resources available, but here's a great start:

http://www.ffbha.org/resources/clinician-resources/



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To see more Drawn By Fire cartoons or to purchase prints,…

Working in the fire service gives a sense of nobility; a purpose that goes beyond just “clocking in.” It is an established honorable profession. Its members are a tight family, a brotherhood that unites when called upon. However, being a member of this family comes at a price. It is not an easy road, nor is it always appealing. Images of the shining fire apparatus and polished uniforms are replaced with images of destroyed homes, patients with horrific burns,…

Are you a firefighter who is secretly struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?  A firefighter can be exposed to many terrifying images and events that can trigger PTSD. Unfortunately, many firefighters suffer in silence without getting the proper treatment to overcome PTSD.

As a result, here are some helpful tips on how to help a fellow firefighter who is struggling with this fear related disorder.

Learn As Much As You Can…

The news channels, commercials, and social media often emphasize the crisis that is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that plagues our veterans of the past and warfighters of the present, but how often does the PTSD among firefighters publicize? Although the media is beginning to recognize the importance of stress after traumatic events, the first responders rarely seem to get the attention needed to progress in treatment options and solutions. However, even…

Our Reformation

The Citizen. The Neighbor. The Stranger. The Family.…

From the time we are children, we are told to be afraid of monsters. Monsters under the bed. Monsters in the closet. The monster in that dark and treacherous basement that our parents never wanted us to explore alone. As we grew older, our teenage monsters changed to be the bully in second-period literature or our ever-present self-doubting reflection in the mirror.…

When someone says the word hero, we automatically start thinking about things like courage, nobility, and over-the-top achievements. Heroes go above and beyond the call of duty to help people without giving it a second thought.  They don’t give up no matter how afraid they may be. They’re the kind of people who inspire us to achieve great things in our own lives.

It’s this image that we have of heroes that…

 By: Jordan Ponder

How does fire travel? Path of least resistance! Why? Because it does have the ability to think! How do firefighters move when we are focused on tasks at hand? Path of least resistance or in whatever way is easiest. Firefighters continue to experience…

-        Knee…

Whenever we hear about a major tragedy in our nation like a terrorist attack, shooting, or natural disaster, our minds go right to the safety and protection needs of those who are affected. As a nation, we grieve their pain and suffering. The most recent tragedy is no different, as America woke up to hear news of a massive…

Sleep Tips and Strategies For Firefighters

By: Jordan Ponder

BE SUCCESSFUL: Improving Your Sleep

Everyone can agree that sleep is important to your health.…

When we think of firefighters or any other type of first responder, it often reminds us of the brotherhood that they share. Early in their careers, firefighters learn to lean on one another inside and outside of the station house. For many of them, there’s nothing like hitting the local bar to decompress after a tough call. Some firefighters can manage the stress that accompanies the trauma that they…

Young children read many stories about the important work of firefighters. Most people probably have a fond memory of taking a field trip to the fire station during their elementary school years. If they were lucky, they got to climb up into the fire truck or put on a fire hat. Which of us didn’t anxiously await the appearance of sparkling red fire trucks with sirens blazing at the start of every parade? Kids in every city and town dream about one day becoming a heroic firefighter. While…

By: John Spera

Being trusted that you can do your job when it counts is more important than being liked.

As firefighters, the responsibility before us is great, as we are given automatic trust the day we take the oath. It’s a trust…

"By definition, a hero is a man who battles against overwhelming odds for a cause, an ideal, or for the lives of innocents. The cause and ideal may vary with the morning headlines – while the innocents in today's world of muddy morality, may ultimately prove to be guilty. Which leaves but one constant in the definition: that a hero is, above all, a man... A man subject to pressures and responsibilities far beyond those of his peers. Such is a burden that must take its toll, eventually,…

So there I am with a fellow firefighter talking about an upcoming promotional testing process. He tells me how he wishes he could do the things I do physically, but he is just not as gifted.

Truth is, I'm not any more gifted than the next guy around the firehouse. I just want it more and am willing to endure more to achieve it. I have wanted whatever it is more than most other people since my early childhood years. That’s where my path to mental toughness began…years ago. At a young…

By: John Spera

"The mind is the battleground. It is here that the future is told." 

Goals are destined to be lost if the mindset to reach them is not built first. Our lives are a reflection of our mindset and have been built through our beliefs and perspectives of the world, to include ourselves in it. We have complete control over the mindset we choose to have on any given day—it’s up to us to create the…

Developing a Firefighter Workout

By: Jordan Ponder

Firefighter fitness is vital to our performance and longevity.  It is the cornerstone to increasing our safety and a critical element to protecting firefighters.  It’s a fact that can’t be overstated. The tragic trend of firefighter obesity, diabetes, hypertension and stroke can be positively impacted by implementing…

We’ve got to do better than this.

It is with a heavy heart that I find myself mourning another brother as I write this blog post. A brother who was the epitome of dedication and passion, and who was loved by all who had the fortune to know him, or be the target of his shameless wit and humor. He loved the fire service, he loved teaching, but something…

Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths: Are we Missing the Big Picture?

By: Dan Kerrigan & John Spera

“The Shortest Route to Fewer Firefighter Deaths is through the Heart.”

-National Fallen Firefighters Foundation

When an operational fire service line-of-duty (LODD) death occurs, we give it…