Fire Rescue Wellness

Get registered for 7-Minute Science here! The webinar is 4.29.24 at 6 pm CENTRAL. You'll receive a recording even if you can't attend live. Today's episode is short and sweet since I don't have a guest and I was gone all weekend. I meet the best people, and this past weekend at NSCA Great Lakes, I met a firefighter from a small department in Northern Indiana. He asked, "Ho...

Anna August works primarily with Fairfax Police, but that's all changing! She can now also work with the firefighters in Fairfax County. Go see Anna for all your rehab needs! Just ring the doorbell on the Criminal Justice Academy (if that doesn't sound like some Batman s***, I don't know what does!). Anna August is an Athletic Trainer and Director of Injury Care and Prevention for t...

Meeting amAZing people is my jam, and I met Kealey Wohlgemuth last summer at the NSCA National Convention with her Ph. D. advisor, previous guest, Dr. Jacob Mota, and other lab mates. Hear Dr. Mota's Episode here! Kealey is doing great work in firefighter research, and we chatted about the projects she's currently working on. Kealey is a third-year Ph. D. student from Topsail Island, Nor...

It was a wild twenty years. I started the fire service with a group, and we lost one quickly through attrition and another three years in (to another department). As of 3.15.24, six were still standing, and now there are five. Best of luck to my remaining homies, Barnes, Fitzloff, Sievert, Saylor, and Detolve! Today's podcast relates twenty things I learned in the fire service in twenty years...

Check out the fundraiser event in Illinois in July! Project Fire Buddies is the most powerful charity I've ever seen in action. It's a testament to what firefighters can do when presented with a challenge. Special shout out to my Local, IAFFL2986, and our coordinator, Tom Collins! TC is amazing. Watch a video about PFB! Ryan Ballard and I did something I've only done one other time...

If you missed AMC on 7-Minute Science, check out the webinar here ! Dr. Chizewski and I have been friends for several years, beginning when I was a guest lecturer in her class, and she was a professor at Benedictine University in the town where I work. We've stayed in contact, and I've proudly watched her career trajectory. Annmarie and I discussed firefighter wellness research, using mo...

I'm retiring and working with an all-female crew on my last day. If you want to commemorate the day with us, your last chance to order your HERSTORY shirt is 3.5.2024! Make sure you take a pic and post it to your social media on 3.15. Tag me so we can celebrate together! Dr. Jacob Mota ( Episode 28 ) recently introduced me to Brian Newman, and we hit it off immediately. However, I'm unsu...

If you want to celebrate my last day in the fire service with me, order a shirt here ! Make sure to snap a photo and tag me on social media on 3.15.24 so I can repost your pic. I met Naomi Spilka in May of 2023 at a Women's Summit hosted by South Metro Fire. Her story and lecture captivated me, and I knew I had to get her on the podcast. Naomi's intro from the Code-4 website: Hey there,...

Would you like to help me celebrate my retirement on 3.15.24?  My department is staffing an entire firehouse with females on my last day! You can order a commemorative Making Herstory shirt here and make sure you take a picture and post it on social media that day (and tag me!!!!) Orders are for shipping to USA addresses only and end on 3.5.25. Welcome to Part II of the series on Fairfax County Fi...

Click here to download a blog and free Needs Assessment PDF DC Brian Edmonston is currently the man at the helm of Fairfax County Fire and Rescue's Health and Wellness Section. In this episode, Brian outlines the 25-year evolution of one of the strongest health and wellness programs in the country. Look forward to additional future guests from FCFR! Click here for Brian's Bio So what, no...

Kelsey Bailey is a performance dietitian and a repeat guest! You can check out her previous episode and bio here . On this episode, Kelsey and I spoke about the complexities of the gut and how it impacts overall physical and mental health. One of the major take-homes we'd love for you to internalize is that omeprazole is NOT a long-term solution to belly discomfort! Also, eat your fruits and...

Get on the waitlist for Build Your Career in Fire Grab the blog and the needs assessment PDF Scott Forbes is a dad, a husband, an athlete, a nerd, and a wonderful friend and I'm so excited to have him back on the show.  You can check out his bio and his previous episode here . Today we discussed the most recent research on creatine, but spent the majority of our time telling dad jokes and dis...

Travis Howze's life has been riddled with trauma and challenges. He is a Marine Corps Veteran and served previously as both a law enforcement officer and a firefighter. Travis lost his job as a firefighter through his inability to confront his previous trauma, which culminated in the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire, where he lost nine coworkers. Travis was on the body recovery team, and of c...

Last chance to get registered for 7-Minute Science! Welcome to Part IV of my series featuring the South Metro (CO) Fire. I had a wonderful conversation with Chief Bob Baker. You're going to love the interview and his philosophy! Chief Baker began his career in the Fire Service at the Parker Fire District as a firefighter in 1984 and served in numerous capacities since then, including engineer...

Get registered for 7-Minute Science on 1.22.24 at noon central! I met the mighty Jill Joyce through the Jay Dawes connection in 2020, and we immediately hit it off. Dr. Joyce has a no-nonsense approach to fueling and understands first responders and the military since her family is full of them! She absolutely CRUSHED her talk at our first 7-Minute Science in November and you're going to love...

Register for 7-Minute Science on 1.22.24! Sometimes you meet someone and you just know   they're going to be special and important to you. This week's guest has absolutely nothing to do with the fire service other than being the engineer on several fire related podcasts. Today I welcomed my friend and FRW Podcast producer, Jeremiah Douglas. Jeremiah is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day a...

Sign up for 7-Minute Science V2.0 on 1.22.24 at noon central!!! South Metro Fire has one of the most impressive and robust health and wellness programs of any agency in the United States. They run their program on the model of Human Performance Optimization (HPO) which includes physical and mental health, medical monitoring, and so much more. This is Part III of a multi-part series where I sit dow...

Sign up for 7-Minute Science V2.0 on 1.22.24 at noon central!!! South Metro Fire has one of the most impressive and robust health and wellness programs of any agency in the United States. They run their program on the model of Human Performance Optimization (HPO) which includes physical and mental health, medical monitoring, and so much more. This is Part II of a multi-part series where I sit down...

Sign up for 7-Minute Science V2.0 on 1.22.24 at noon central!!! South Metro Fire has one of the most impressive and robust health and wellness programs of any agency in the United States. They run their program on the model of Human Performance Optimization (HPO) which includes physical and mental health, medical monitoring, and so much more. This is Part I of a multi-part series where I sit down...

The SWAG store is open for the holiday season! There are usually only a few instances in a lifetime where thought processes get turned 180 degrees. For me, meeting Anna Hartman was one of those instances. Anna is an incredible practitioner with a unique approach to assessment and treatment; unlike most hands-on clinicians, she can guarantee results for her clients and patients! I recently complete...

The FRW Swag Store is open! This week's episode was a conversation 5 years in the making. Scott and I bonded on the 'gram over rescue puppies in 2018. In December of that year, he adopted my dog bestie, ATM (Alfie the Mini), and we've been great friends ever since. Scott hosted me as a guest on Episode 65 of the NSCA Coaching Podcast when our roles were quite different. I was a fire...

The FRW Swag store is open just in time for the holidays! Check it out here! My podcast guests are all my friends; and in this case, Lee Throckmorton was simply a friend I hadn't met yet. Lee and I ran into one another at this year's NSCA Tactical Annual Training in Las Vegas and began chatting about health and wellness after the conference. You're going to love Lee's take on g...

The FRW Swag Store is open just in time for the holidays. Check it out her e! This week's episode was a pure delight to record. Sara Jahnke is moving the needle in big ways within the firefighter research community. We found out that we are kindred spirits in both the love of research and good hugs. Dr. Sara Jahnke is the Director and a Senior Scientist with the Center for Fire, Rescue &...

Fitness testing is only meaningful if it's reliable and actionable, so it's not the place to start a health and wellness program. So what, now what? Top tips if you're convinced fitness testing is right for your department: *Make sure it's proctored by a credentialed and competent professional who can explain not only the testing process but also the results. *Ensure that steps...

AJ is back for a second guest appearance on the FRW podcast. We were supposed to record in person at ACSM Midwest, but your illustrious host forgot the power cord. Listen to AJ's previous episode with Joel Luedke here ! We discussed the physiology of training for sport, training for firefighting, and the downsides of working out in structural firefighting gear. Dr. Jagim is the Director of Sp...