The Firefighter Deconstructed

The Firefighter Deconstructed gets real with John Hofman. This guy knows how to talk and doesn’t care if he ruffles a few feathers, he calls it like he sees it. Coach John Hofman, MS., CSCS*D, TSAC-F*D is one of leading experts in the field of Firefighter Health and Wellness and currently serves as the Director of Tactical Strength & Conditioning Specialist for Southern California University Healt...

The Firefighter Deconstructed talks with Cristian Hinojosa who has served the Dallas community as a public servant for nearly 15 years. He currently leads the DFD Peer Support Program, providing outreach and support to firefighters. He shares his own struggles and how he turned to alcohol to cope. He currently serves the northeast Dallas area as a Captain and Acting Battalion Chief at Station 28....

The Firefighter Deconstructed sits down with Danielle Cook Kawash, Mike Salemi, and Simon Mathews from First In Wellness. They develop wellness programs for Fire departments, yet all of their information applies to all first responders, and yes even dispatchers. For a person who sits for long periods of time, being physically fit will help the body and mind handle all that stress. They work to mak...

Taking Charge of Your Recovery. The Firefighter Deconstructed sits down with paramedic and dispatcher Michael Henderson. Michael was a paramedic in Oakland, CA and then became a dispatcher. He was a dispatcher on duty during the catastrophic Tubbs Fire in Santa Rosa and Napa that became the most destructive fire in California history. We talk about his journey through trauma and the resulting PTSI...

The Firefighter Deconstructed sits down with Sean Wyman and talks about getting out from being miserable. Sean Wyman is an 18 Year Law Enforcement Officer and Trainer, Army Veteran, father of 3, and husband of 14 years. He is also trauma informed care speaker, trauma trainer, and bestselling author. Sean went through a horrific childhood that continued to direct his life and how he lived. Sean rea...

Rick Markley and I talk about the unique challenges that volunteer firefighters and their departments face in taking care of their wellness and mental health. There is so much more involved than just bad calls. You may think that an episode on volunteer firefighters has nothing to do with you, but with volunteers making up 67% of the fire service in the United States, this subject matters to every...

The Firefighter Deconstructed sits down with another amazing daughter of a long time police officer. 21 year old Courtney talks about growing up as the oldest kid in a family with a first responder dad that works long hours as a police officer…and ends up with PTSI. No one talked to Courtney to tell her what was going on with her dad. No one explained that her dad was isolating and unavailable bec...

This Episode is with Anaheim Firefighter/Paramedic Matt Fiorenza. Matt is a 16 year veteran of the the AFD and started drinking alcohol when he was 11. He had many trials and tribulations along the way to recovery. PTS nearly killed him. But he made it through and is a firefighter paramedic for the Anaheim Fire Department station at the Happiest place on Earth. He also works with a few organizatio...

In Part 2, Jay talks more about working at the bomb site, the surrealism and how supportive the entire community was. Jay and I talk about what didn't work and what did work to recover from PTSD. Jay also talks about the passing of Rebecca Kuga, a dedicated psychologist who worked with first responders to heal. She not only gave of herself professionally, but she truly gave her heart, love and com...

This episode of The Firefighter Deconstructed has a very special guest. Grace is the 16 year old (soon to be 17) daughter of a police officer with 26 years as a cop (and his first gig was 3 years as a firefighter). Grace and I talk about what it’s like to be the child of a first responder and also of a first responder who gets PTSI. Grace is incredibly articulate and self aware. She makes it very...

Retired Captain Tim Dietz shares his story of having to overcome personal tragedy and not fully dealing with it caused him to struggle later in his career. We talk about paths to recovery and the importance of peer support. Tim began his fire service career in Oregon in 1979. His first 22 years working on "the line" as a Company Officer/Paramedic, he retired at the end of 2008 as the Behavioral He...

Tim Kaplan is a 20 year veteran of the Berkeley, (CA) police Department. We talk about his chronic anxiety and how he dealt with it on the job. He spent the majority of his police career in the patrol division while holding a number of collateral assignments including Field Training Officer, Crisis Negotiator Team Leader, and Crowd Management Team member. Tim was assigned to the Sexual Assault Inv...

Meet Jay Scott, retired Fire Lieutenant from the Oklahoma City Fire Department. The Oklahoma City bombing has had lasting effects on everyone, especially those who were there. Jay Scott is no different. His uncanny memory and insight causes him to remember more than he would like. It's been 25 years since the bombing and Jay still continues to find closure for events from that day. It's an incredi...

Deborah is the wife of ret. New York State Trooper, who after struggling with symptoms took years to finally be diagnosed with PTSD. Deborah has been through the gauntlet of being the spouse of a first responder with PTSD. After the diagnosis came and healing began, Deborah used her writing and producing skills to create the award winning documentary film, Code 9: Officer Needs Assistance. This fi...

More first responders kill themselves than die in the line of duty. Fire captain Jeff Dill decided to do something about it. Jeff is the founder of the Firefighter Behavioral Health Alliance, holds a Master’s degree and is a Licensed Counselor. He is a retired Captain from Palatine Rural Fire Protection District in Inverness, Illinois and is a member of the American Counseling Association and Nati...

Retired Sergent Surgue has 20+ years experience in the military and law enforcement. Michael tells his compelling story of having to face a police officer’s nightmare and the debilitating mental health struggle that ensued. Michael demonstrates the strength and resiliency in order to survive and recover, even when it feels like all is lost and there is no hope. He has become a national keynote spe...

Ellen Kirschman is known as the “Cop Doc”. She has 30 years as a clinical psychologist specializing in law enforcement and first responders. Today Ellen and I talk about the importance for first responders to see a therapist who understands the police and first responder culture. We also talk about the differences in the culture of cops and firefighters, and tools for self-care that apply to every...

We have former dispatcher Sue Faria who also happens to be the president of the First Responder Support Network. Sue tells her story of dispatching many years for the CHP and then the sheriff’s office. We talk about her struggles with PTSD and her recovery. Sue is also a chaplain at WCPR and SOS. She talks about the spiritual side of recovery and how that can look like anything that fits you. Disp...

Jon began his fire career with the Peoria Illinois fire department. He left the department to pursue his true calling, serving God. He and his wife moved to South Dakota and founded a small rural church and he became its Pastor. Some time later the itch to be in the fire service came back. He joined the Sioux Falls Fire Department. Jon serves has served as a first responder for over 20 years and i...

On this episode we talk to James and Angelica Hendrix. James is a former CHP Officer diagnosed with PTSD and came very close to suicide. He went through hell. But so did his wife Angelica. Spouses are often forgotten about as so much focus is on the first responder and their injury. First James tells his story of struggle with PTSD. Then we hear the story of his wife and her ordeal being in a rela...

You know him as the firefighter cradling the bloody baby in the iconic photo from the Oklahoma City Bombing. We will get to know the human inside the uniform as Chris Fields who just went to work that day as a regular guy and had his world turned upside down. Chris shares his story with a great deal of honesty and openness. We are fortunate to have Chris on the show just a few days before April 19...

Ret. Police Officer Nathan Schlitz experience's any police officer's worst nightmare. He shares his story of what happened, the toll it took on his well being, and his recovery. He also talks about his work for the non-profit Disaster Responder Assets Network, https://dranetwork.org This organization provides crisis support for first responders and healthcare workers.

We call them our better half, but what is it like to be the other half of someone suffering from PTSD? Diana Banuelos tells her story of being the wife of a Narcotics officer with PTSD. This is a show for anyone who has a partner who is struggling with anything.

What happens when a paramedic responds on his own family? Paramedic Anthony Hendricks tells his story of being a first responder and a husband at the same exact time.

Meet Dr. Joel Fay who has 32 years as a police officer and his doctorate in psychology. He is also a leading and nationally known first responder psychologist and one the co-founders of the West Coast Post Trauma Retreat. We discuss his career, the development of WCPR, and his dedicated work in helping first responders get their lives back.