Forged by FIRE with Ryan Rodriquez

We are currently facing a society that is gripped in fear due to the COVID-19 or “Corona Virus” pandemic.  We as first-responders don’t have a choice to run and hide because that’s not who we are.  We act in the face of fear. And yet, we are witnessing people act completely irrationally because of what the news media is telling them.  And in that fear, it seems that they are buying...

Having several conversations over the past several weeks, I became aware of something I didn’t realize was so prominent among the people that I work with; hypothyroidism. This isn’t something that I personally struggle with, but I wanted to learn more about it.  And the more I learned about it, the more I discovered how well-documented it is that there is a direct correlation between shift wo...

As the years go by, complacency sets in.  We get comfortable in our positions and sometimes those positions are of the reclined nature.  As a result, we gain weight in the form of useless fat and the bigger we get, the more unmotivated we become. Fitness is a crucial part of our profession.  We don’t have a lot of time in our careers when compared to corporate America or most other...

As firefighters and EMS professionals, we are constantly doing work on the front end so that when the time comes, we can be at the ready to respond.  Oftentimes we don’t even realize that that’s what we are in fact doing. When it comes to our professional lives, we are hyper-vigilant in making sure that our equipment is in operating order and ready at all times.  So why is it so challeng...

(I'm so sorry for the drop in volume about halfway in!  I have absolutely NO IDEA what happened!) You’ve probably heard it said that “those who can no longer do, teach.”  As we get older in our lives and in our careers in the fire service, we lose some ability to do things the way that we used to. You’ve heard me talk about the “Key 3” back in episode 50 - light the spark, stoke the flam...

The bulk of the food that we consume consists of carbohydrates, fats, and protein.  These are known as macronutrients.  Other elements that make up the foods that we eat are called micronutrients; these are the vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes that we intake. Macros influence our body’s ability to digest food, absorb nutrients, and produce hormones.  They also impact our immune...

We have a lot of different things occupying real estate in our minds at any given moment.  One thing that we sometimes forget about is the fact that WE are the owners of that real estate and make the choice as to who or what occupies that space. While on the fireground or EMS scene it’s important that we remain focused.  But how can we work on that while we aren’t ON emergency scenes? In...

In today’s society we are told that we need to accept others for who they are.  But with that acceptance sometimes comes a lack of standards.  I said it in a recent podcast episode, “the minimum standard becomes the new standard.” It can be unhealthy and even dangerous to cling to the level of acceptance that we are provided by the people we choose to be around.  Like it or not, we...

The health of any relationship, team, or organization can be measured by the lag time between identifying problems and discussing those problems.  And couldn’t the same be said for how we respond to fire and EMS calls?  We don’t seem to have hang-ups when it comes to quickly and systematically identifying problems on the fireground and EMS scene.  So, why do we have such a problem making the conne...

The self-contained breathing apparatus (or SCBA) has a direct impact when it comes to our personal safety on the fireground.  Our lives literally depend on it’s proper operation and use.  So, it’s not news to those of you who are currently serving as firefighters that you should be checking it off and making sure it’s in operating order at the beginning of each shift. We may be operating...

For those of us that are parents, we know that as we balance work and home life, sometimes it can be difficult to keep our negative emotions at bay.  We might lash out at our kids or we may withdraw from them completely when something that happened at work has affected us. The way we behave toward our children will set them up for how they handle the relationships they have throughout their own li...

As we progress in our careers, sometimes we fall into complacency.  And like I mentioned in the previous episode, complacency kills!  As we become more complacent in our abilities, we place ourselves further to the “liability” category.  When we sat in our interviews to get hired for the career of a lifetime, we told the panel that we’d bring a lot to the table.  We were motiva...

We would NEVER think to fight a fire without evaluating the situation, formulating a strategy, and taking action toward the objective.  So, why do we not think to take a similar approach when it comes to our personal lives? Benjamin Franklin once said that “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” and if you are living your life right now so that you aren’t actively working toward some kind...

We hear a lot about mission, vision, and values when we go to our department trainings or when a new chief shows up, but do we think of them any other time? Or do we even hear them when we aren’t sitting in these meetings?  Maybe you don’t even hear them in those meetings!  And if that’s the case, then there is more work that needs to be done.  But I’m getting ahead of myself...befo...

This week’s episode marks the 50th episode that I’ve recorded.  In just two weeks, I will cross the one year mark for how long I’ve been producing and recording this show.  I’ve learned a LOT along the way and going back and listening to my earlier episodes, although embarrassing, shows me just how much I’ve learned. I want to say “Thank you” to all of you who subscribe, download and listen to the...

Those of us who are firefighters and work in EMS are known as “shift workers” because we work outside of the typical hours of 9am to 5pm.  Depending on how busy our department, our station, and our truck is, the amount of sleep we get is usually in the hands of the Fire & EMS gods, but that doesn’t mean that we are totally helpless and can’t do something about it. How many times have you...

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and that you were able to wear your special Thanksgiving pants and pack your bellies full of whatever it is you eat on Thanksgiving.  I’m not here to lecture you and tell you how to be and that you should be thankful for all you have, you’ve already heard a lot of that already, I’m sure. But in today’s episode, I AM going to talk about how focusing on t...

We as firefighters are labeled as “first responders”.  Think about that for a moment...we are called first responders, not “first reactors”.  We are expected to respond to incidents rather than react to them.  But what exactly does that mean?  What’s the difference?  And IS there a difference?  I’m here to tell you that there ABSOLUTELY IS a difference when it comes t...

While we’d all like to blame our problems on everyone and everything else, one thing we need to keep at the forefront of our mind is that it is OURSELVES who are often our own worst enemies.  Ego hinders us at every turn.  We feel that we are entitled to things or positions due to either our time invested or our “amazing abilities”. We spend a lot of time spending money we don’t have on...

In this episode I get to have a conversation with Jordan Raye, founder and leader of Alpha Maiden.  She has a clear mission of helping women become strong mentally and physically in order to become the warrior that they’re meant to be. Jordan is the epitome of how fostering strength from within can translate to all areas of your life.  In her social media posts and on her website she sho...

Today we’re talking about something near and dear to my heart, firefighter functional fitness.  In this episode, I have a great conversation with Dan Kerrigan and Jim Moss, the authors of Firefighter Functional Fitness, basically the fitness “bible” for firefighters. If these guys aren’t on your radar yet, they will be after this!   Their practical approach to functional fitness as it sp...

When we hear that one of our fellow firefighters is going on a “diet” we sometimes tease them or try to make things worse for them by bringing sweets into the station.  None of this is productive and just makes you look like an asshole. While we shouldn’t be constantly “on a diet” we should be MINDFUL of our diet. Going on a special diet from time to time is perfectly fine.  However, mos...

Studies have shown that inhalation or absorption of carcinogens is how firefighters are most likely exposed to cancer risk.  Exposure can come from direct contact with the skin to dirty gear - including gear removal - or indirect contact by off-gassing. While there is a wider awareness of the danger that dirty gear represents to firefighters, it is still the prevailing cultural and work norms...

As firefighters, we work in physically, emotionally, and psychologically challenging situations.  It’s the nature of the job and for a good part, that’s why we are attracted to the job in the first place, for the challenging element.  But with those challenges come the pressure to constantly perform, often times with limited resources.   These difficult work conditions can lead to b...

As firefighters, we are a unique culture.  We tend to fall into the Type A personality category where we are very competitive, have an ingrained sense of urgency, and have an affinity toward being hostile and aggressive.  However, we also have a handful of Type B personalities as well; people who are relaxed, patient, and easy-going.   Something important to remember is that one isn...