Forged by FIRE with Ryan Rodriquez

I’ve heard people give other firefighters compliments that sound like, “oh they’re an ‘aggressive’ firefighter” or “they are an aggressive paramedic!”  But what exactly does this mean, and is it a good thing? I would say ‘yes’, being aggressive in your mode of execution but not your method is the key.  Jocko Willink says that “being proactive and aggressive are similar, and they are both...

In the fire service, it is our job to be the ones to enter dangerous situations in order to decrease damage and improve the odds of life safety.  Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are taking risk into consideration.  We get called to a scene, size-up the situation, and then we determine what resources we will need in order to mitigate the problem. Currently, in America, we are fa...

It’s been said that the person who doesn’t read has NO advantage over the person who cannot read.  This has become more and more prevalent to me as I collect years in the fire service. If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, then you know how much I love reading books.  I’m constantly referencing them, I’ve got a list of some of my most influential reads on the IGNITEd website, and...

One of the things that attracted us to the fire service is the sense of brotherhood, or perceived brotherhood.  We like the idea of all gathering around and doing things together, as a crew.  After all, we face life and death situations together, why shouldn’t we do other things together too? However, one of the things I’ve seen deteriorate IS that sense of brotherhood.  This can be...

At one point or another, you may have been on a sports team with a coach.  Or maybe you’ve worked in sales and had what’s known as a “sales coach”.  Or maybe you have BEEN a coach in some form or another. Regardless of your experience being coached or AS a coach, in the fire service (and basically any profession), it’s in your best interests to retain the ability to BE coached. But what...

All of us in the fire and EMS services got into this job to help people.  Even at the cost of our own lives.  Even at the expense of breaking a few rules to do it. A story that came out of Oklahoma this week showcased a firefighter who made the call to transport a child in a fire engine who suffered burns from a fire, and he was disciplined for it. In today’s episode, I will give you all...

Let’s face facts; we’re all human and it’s in our nature to be competitive.  The desire to compete and win drives us to succeed and it also helps us push past our perceived barriers. However, competition needs to be carefully observed.  If left unchecked it can leave us constantly feeling unfulfilled and inadequate.  It can also make us extremely unpopular. In today’s episode, I wil...

The internet is jam-packed with fitness and nutrition advice.  But how is one supposed to hack through all of the garbage and pick out the gems? I’ve done a lot of research over the years as a way to help myself on my own path.  However, as a result, I’ve become a resource for my organization and my clients by becoming a certified nutrition coach as well as a certified personal trainer....

I recently got an email from someone and in it he said that a certain strategy that a labor group was seeking to deploy “didn’t make for the best optics”. Honestly, the entire email sounded like something you hear in the report of a middle-schooler who is looking at a thesaurus to make their report sound more elegant, but that particular phrase stuck out to me. So in this episode I’d like to go ov...

Ethos is defined as; the moral character, nature, disposition and customs of a people or culture. One could say that a fire department organization’s mission, vision, and values are a reflection of it’s ethos .  But what is your personal ethos?  What boundaries, rules, and principles do you subscribe to that makes you who you are? In today’s episode, I will talk specifically about what a...

Today is my Christmas wish for you and I present a "selfish" challenge to you! My gift to you are the videos that I've posted links to below.  Click 'em.  Watch 'em.  And laugh your butt off! Merry Christmas everyone! -- Christmas Morning - SNL "Punch his beard off!"

There’s a HUGE difference between just checking the boxes and being excellent at what you do.  One of the ways we can give the status quo a throat chop is by taking action toward excellence. My guest today is Captain Jim Moss from the Metro West Fire Protection District in St. Louis County Missouri and he just published a book called Firefighter Success - 20 C’s to Firefighter Excellence. In...

Today I’m going to be doing another “Ask Me Anything” episode.  I recently asked those of you in the Facebook group what are some topics you’d like me to discuss on the show and I got a good amount of questions submitted in that thread. In today’s episode, I will be addressing these questions directly. And when I say “ask me anything”, I mean it.  It could be about ANYTHING!  So, if...

As firefighters we have the best job in the world.  And even though we love our jobs, negativity can sometimes creep in.  Whether it’s the result of administration decimating morale, a call that goes bad, or family issues creeping into the firehouse, we all succumb to negative energy from time to time. This can be a death sentence when it comes to morale and everyday happiness, but it do...

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for any amount of time, then you know how I feel about the subject of taking action. One of my most favorite quotes of all time is by Theodore Roosevelt.  It’s a poetic reminder of what it means to be a person of action and that it isn’t an easy way to be, but it isn’t meant to be easy.  It’s meant to be worth it. In today’s episode, I will read to...

WIth Thanksgiving coming up, you’ll be around a lot of food.  Not only that, you may be the one cooking.  Cooking for your family is great!  Now, imagine cooking for a large group of loud, boisterous, and very opinionated firefighters. As a firefighter, you may even be on duty during holidays like Thanksgiving where the saving grace of working on these holidays and being away from y...

You’ve heard me say this before, the hiring process for the fire service is a gauntlet.  There are a series of tests that include mental and physical aspects, not to mention the rounds of panel interviews!  And if you’re currently in the testing process and have experienced what a fire service interview is like, then you know the stress that can come along with not knowing what to say or...

When I was trying to get a career in the fire service, I didn’t have anyone to help me.  I didn’t have family or friends that were doing the job.  I don’t come from a “legacy family”.  I worked hard and forged ahead down a path of self-education and institutionalized education.  It was hard and I really wish I had someone help me along the path.  I could’ve avoided some pi...

When I was in the academy I heard the saying “if you want the whole department to know a secret, tell a firefighter”.  This is one of those jokes that is sad, but true.  I call it the “fire wire”.  Gossip exists within the walls of the firehouse and it’s destroying us. This issue of gossip isn’t exclusive to the fire service, it can be found in a lot of organizations around the worl...

One of my most favorite quotes, one that has guided my life for years, is a samurai proverb.  You’ve heard me reference it numerous times throughout the podcast. “Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.” In today’s episode I will break down the two different parts to this proverb and I will discuss the elements that I utilize to make sure that I’m living by this ancient code. -- IGNITEd...

It takes a lot to get a career in the fire service.  There is a gauntlet of elements in the process; turn in an application, take the written test, perform some kind of physical performance test, panel interview or TWO, then it’s onto the academy.  Even then, an invitation to the academy isn’t a guaranteed spot on the truck.  A full-time spot is conditional upon successful completio...

Whenever you try to achieve something more, there will always be those people who are like crabs in a bucket who will try to pull you down.  They will mock, they will ridicule, and some will even use their resources and active efforts just to hold you back. But not matter how many times they pull you back down, no matter how many times you may get knocked on your butt, you’ve gotta get back u...

I’m not one to go on about “war stories”, but I sure had a rough one the other day.  And as a result, I was reminded as to why I do this job, and why I love it. We’re going to have some hard days and we’re going to have some fantastic days. My goal in today’s episode is to share with you what things came to my mind, share a bit of perspective, and how we can be active in having gratitude! --...

Today I'm talking to my friend and author Skye Fagrell.  He has provided performance coaching and leadership training for over 20 years and his book "More Fit 4 the Kingdom" delivers truths of faith-based principles that can be applied to anyone, anywhere.  The focus of Skye's effort is on how incorporating measurable principles into our lives and tracking them, we can improve our wisdom...

If you aren’t investing in yourself, then you are wasting your time!  In this day and age where knowledge is at your fingertips, the only reason we DON’T take action toward bettering ourselves is the direct result of complacency. Being a firefighter and working in EMS, we need to make sure that we are keeping at the forefront of the new trends in medicine as well as the advancements in our ab...