Rescue 1 Podcast

This was an awesome episode for a research nerd like myself.  Dr. Daniel Higuera is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Santa Ana College Department of Fire Technology. Currently, he provides health and wellness services to over 20 fire and police departments in southern California. In this episode I talked about a few of his popular posts on social media, which he's rapidly gaining popu...

In her second time on the show, Battalion Chief Dena Ali shares with me a range of topics around her new book.  I loved every page of this and bought a copy for my Peer Support Team leader to read. She not only dives in to tough topics around mental health, she backs it up with data and a deep understanding of the mental health issues surrounding the fire service.  She addresses leadership practic...

In this episode of the Rescue 1 Podcast I interview Alex Jabr who founded the brand Emergency Resilience. Alex has a PHd and wrote her dissertation on ketamine assisted therapy for firefighters with PTSD.  After spending years as a paramedic and suffering a terrible back injury that led to her early retirement from EMS, she took a different route and is now a respected educator, advocate for menta...

This week's guest: Annette Zapp. Lt. (ret.) from the Lisle-Woodbridge Fire Protection District (IL) Annette has a masters in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of South Dakota. She worked in strength and conditioning coaching for years and just co-authored a review on the effects of creatine for tactical athletes. This review: "Fueling the Firefighter and Tactical Ath...

Brendan is a retired firefighter from Northern Virginia and the host of The Things We All Carry podcast. In this episode him and I talk about life after retirement and finding fulfillment, THC in the fire service, the benefits and future of psychedelics and the mentality of resistance to change within the fire service.  This is the second time I've had Brendan on the show and it again did not...

Jim was interviewed by a reporter who asked about some of the most traumatic things that people see. When he was explaining to her that it's part of the job he said "we call that Tuesday". The book Overcoming Tuesday is about Jim's personal and professional struggles and how he overcame them. I had a hell of a conversation with him and I hope you get a lot out of this conversat...

This is an episode everyone has asked for and it's finally here! Sean O'Leary from Pittsburgh FD, the pioneers in medical marijuana for firefighters.  Local 1 was the first IAFF department to allow its members to use MMJ and in this episode Sean and I speak about the lead-up to that event, the hurdles they jumped over and how it's going now.  Listen in to hear about how they did it...

  In this episode of the Rescue 1 Podcast we talk about Fire to Light. An organization started by Brandon Evans to reduce the amount of PTSD in the fire service by providing training to departments.    Brandon's journey is one of courage and conviction. Not many people would go all-in on one thing so intensely, and this guy does it.    We talk about his time in the Canadian Fire Service, the...

Delta 8 has been popping up everywhere. Why is it in gas stations, quick-stops but it's also in vape shops and marijuana dispensaries?   Can firefighters pass a drug test using it?   Is it legal?   I wanted to talk briefly about some of the FAQs and address other points that firefighters and first responders should know. Listen in to learn how it's made, where it comes from and why the p...

In this episode I sat down with Rob Sweetman – former Navy SEAL, sleep scientist, private practice sleep coach, sleep science speaker, and founder of Sleep Genius and 62romeo. We talked about the difficulties of being in the military, what got Rob interested in sleep, sleep supplementation, sleep hacks, and a bunch more. It was great getting Rob’s insight into the world of sleep! Where to find Rob...

Leadership in the fire service is crucial for our day-to-day operations to run smoothly and safely. But, leadership is also important for the culture of the firehouse and can make or break a crew.  New ideas, health and wellness, motivating lazy members, etc. These are all things that have to be set by the officer in the house. This episode I talk with Mike Nasti a veteran of the DC-Area fire serv...

I sat down with Mollie Eastman, creator of Sleep Is A Skill, to get her thoughts on the struggle of getting optimal sleep as a first responder. Mollie did the hard work of correcting her sleep herself so that she wouldn't have to depend on sleep medications, and she now works to train others in the skill of sleeping well. She shared some great insights and resources for first responders to ch...

If you've bought our Mint, Lemon, or Out of Service formulas, you've had terpenes! What exactly is a terpene? Simply put, it's the compound that gives plants their smell. But terpenes can also have great effects on the human body, which is why we went to Extract Consultants for terpenes to flavor our CBD and to increase sleep benefits in our Out of Service Formula. We wanted to intr...

This week I had a really great talk with Robert Arrieta, founder of Skulls for Hope and Peer Support Director for Next Rung. Robert has a powerful story of healing from trauma that he shared with us in this episode. That journey led to the founding of Skulls for Hope and his work encouraging firefighters to talk about the things they go through. We talked about how to communicate with our family a...

On this week's episode I sat down with Battalion Chief Dena Ali, who had a TON of knowledge and insight to share. She shared her leadership wisdom from her experience as a Batt. Chief and Captain and gave us her reading list for firefighters interested in becoming officers. She also taught us about heartrate variability and its link with emotional resilience. There are all sorts of ways to in...

This week I sat down with Jason Patton, who you probably know from Fire Department Chronicles and Fire Department Coffee. Jason is also an advocate for mental health, and he shared his own struggles and how he found peace and healing when he got help. We talked about the basics of taking care of ourselves mentally and physically, what he thinks about the future of cannabis in the fire service, and...

In this week’s episode I sat down with Bobby Eckert, Captain in Camden, NJ, second-generation firefighter, and founder of Eckert Fire Tactics. Bobby gave the story of how he founded EFT, going from posting to Instagram from the hospital bed to creating a badass custom mobile training program. We also answered some of the questions you guys submitted: What does he think the biggest detriment to the...

This week I sat down with Chris Torres, a firefighter in New York and Founder of IGY6 Fitness. IGY6 is a strength and conditioning program aimed at helping first responders (Fire, Police, EMS, and Corrections) train for duty, whether they're trying to get into the academy or want to stay fit throughout their careers. Chris and I talked about creating disciplined habits, the role fitness can p...

On this episode of the Rescue 1 Podcast, we were joined by Stack from The Objectionables and The Things We All Carry. We talked about THC in the fire service, the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics, the 56-hour work week and its effect on firefighter wellbeing, and how we as firefighters can do better to take care of ourselves and change the culture for the next generation. We plan to have Stack...

This week I had Megan Lautz with Rescue RD on the podcast to talk diet, nutrition, sleep, and workaholism among first responders.  Megan is a registered dietician and personal trainer who specializes in creating realistic plans that fit in to the first responder lifestyle. We talked about the need for first responders to cut back on caffeine, get more sleep, and eat better, and how to do so in a p...

In this episode I decided to take a deep dive into the peer-reviewed research behind CBD and sleep. I originally wanted to title it, "We're running out of excuses." It doesn't cause a failed drug test, it doesn't cause intoxication, and it has an excellent safety profile. Let's get this stuff into the fire service.     We're here to build confidence in this produ...

[SUBJECT DESCRIPTION]     We're here to build confidence in this product and let the fire service know that CBD can be made safe for the job!   So, if you have someone that needs to listen to this or want to share with someone around your firehouse, share this podcast with them or use any of these sharing options below! Share this on twitter: https://ctt.ac/OTy4J Visit our website: https://re...

[SUBJECT DESCRIPTION]     We're here to build confidence in this product and let the fire service know that CBD can be made safe for the job!   So, if you have someone that needs to listen to this or want to share with someone around your firehouse, share this podcast with them or use any of these sharing options below! Share this on twitter: https://ctt.ac/Y73K8 Visit our website: https://re...

[SUBJECT DESCRIPTION]     We're here to build confidence in this product and let the fire service know that CBD can be made safe for the job!   So, if you have someone that needs to listen to this or want to share with someone around your firehouse, share this podcast with them or use any of these sharing options below! Share this on twitter: https://ctt.ac/Picsm Visit our website: https://re...

I've heard all the lines: "CBD is a fad" "The government will out-regulate the product" "No major organizations will adopt CBD policies" To dispel each of these: CBD research is hitting an all-time high. The last holdout states restricting hemp have all allowed hemp production and CBD sales Major organizations that allow CBD use: National Hockey League (NHL) Majo...