Tailboard Talks Firefighter Podcast

Send a text Taylor Goodman is an embedded strength coach for a large department in Northern Virginia.  She was brought on in 2020 and immediately started building and growing relationships in the fire service. She was brought on and empowered by a captain who has set her up for success and guided her along the way. Taylor knows the science, but knows that all the book smarts in the world are usele...

Send a text Quick topics in this episode.   First, the Daily DOSE is going strong.  Check in on the @4thShiftFireifghter IG and use the #DailyDose and tag @4thShiftFirefighter. Second, Women In Fire received over 1 Million dollars in FEMA grant funding for education and support projects!  The Beltane Guild is one of the named contributors to their upcoming efforts.  If that sounds familiar, it may...

Send a text Jeff Marusich is a 25 year veteran of the Highland Park Fire Department in Illinois.  On July 4th of 2022 an active shooter incident occurred at the Highland Park 4th of July Parade. Jeff was tasked with the internal examination of the department response, and lessons learned. So often in the fire service we build our opinions from newspaper articles, after action reports, and rumors. ...

Send a text Join me in October for the 4th Shift Daily DOSE. Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins are all the 'feel good' chemicals that are associated with exercise and general happiness.  Each morning in October I'll be doing a short bout of exercise to give myself a DOSE. The parameters of the month are very simple; pick 5 movements you like and then each day you pick on...

Send a text Stephanie White is a full time firefighter with 20 years of experience who works with an organization called the Beltane Guild to assist departments in creating and instituting pregnancy and postpartum policies and programs. She has presented along with the IAFF on the topic and Fire Engineering has given her the reigns of the Five After Midnight Podcast. Stephanie speaks from personal...

Send a text How many things do you tell yourself over and over again that aren't quite true, but now there just a part of who you are? The illusory truth effect is the theory that the more you hear something, the more true it becomes.  The fire service is full of examples of this.  Pushing fire, oxygen is good for everyone, 12 leads are too difficult for the street, 'they don't want...

Send a text Sometimes getting into the job is just tough.  Recently I had one of those days and I just couldn't get going. Today we're talking about how I handle those days and some suggestions from the IG poll. The transition to 4th Shift Firefighter is happening in a few days and I'm very excited to see where the new focus on firefighter lifestyle and wellness takes us. Thank you...

Send a text Why can't we talk about good stuff sometimes!? I asked you what some unexpected positives of being part of the fire service have been and the answers were great, as always. Expectations can really set us up for some pleasant surprises or some pretty harsh realities.   Intentions can save us from the emotional damage of false expectations. Hear more about it in the episode and shar...

Send a text This week the show is on the road.  Recording from the camper on the sandy shores of Grand Haven, Michigan. Two quick topics so I can get back to the beach.  First we look at the cost of doing nothing.  Firefighters hate the way things are and hate change even more.  So what changes are worth the cost? Then the evergreen topic of low back pain.  Why it might happen, and where to look t...

Send a text What's worse to deal with, a know it all or a do nothing? The poll results are in and the do nothings are the big losers.  I go into some of the similarities between the two and where I think their attitudes come from. Before that I announce some big news starting in September and have some ideas about failure after talking with one of the guys this week. If you think my message o...

Send a text The Chief is on his way down to see you.  You know what it's about.  You fu@&ed up. I've been in that room and have seen the fabled three stacks of paper, each one less inviting and more of a threat to your career. In this episode I'm giving you ways to help keep the damage to a manageable level.  So many of the times, the way we react to the conversation is so much...

Send a text Vanessa Frost is a strength coach and wellness coordinator for the Pflugerville FD in Texas.  She has been with her department for 7 years and is also a mother to two young boys and wife to a firefighter. Vanessa and I cover some ground talking about the fitness evaluations she does with her department as well as trends in the fire service she's noticed from the fitness lens.  Not...

Send a text Work harder, stop feeling bad for yourself, be a winner, toughen up, depression isn't real....wait, wut? These were some of the taglines from a social media figurehead that a co worker was fond of and opened a discussion about manliness, grit, and character. Is the fire service short on manliness, or masculinity, or both? Is that really such a bad thing in all cases though, and if...

Send a text Last week was a lot.  Tim's wake (see episode 124 for details), my grandmothers funeral, and joining Threads.  Relationships were on full display through those experiences and lots of things caught my attention. Firefighters have complex relationships with so many things but it seems like our interpersonal relationships could not be more simple.  The commonalities between us can m...

Send a text Last week I learned that one of my first mentors in the fire service passed away unexpectedly.  It made me really reflect on the impact he had in the early years of my career and how we use mentors in the fire service. I reached out to Joe Galli to come on and share some of his ideas on the topic.  Joe has a wealth of knowledge from his years as a Marine, Union President, Firefighter a...

Send a text I totally screwed myself the other day.  I had plans of going to skate right after a 36 hour shift so I could decompress a little before going home.  Not only did I omit my regular post-shift routine, but then I irrationally opted out of the skate too. This left me tired, frustrated, apathetic, and not at all prepared to be a good father for a 2 and 4 year old. The job has changed me,...

Send a text Smoke eatin, whisky drinking, leather chewing, mustache havin', hero.  The fire service has had an intimate relationship with alcohol and all things considered hardcore since our old friend Benny Franklin. Alcohol is the great common thread between 'brothers' in the fire service and it's also the cause of many a downfall.  My relationship with it is unclear, and so...

Send a text Have you ever heard of the promise that a program will make you lose fat and build muscle at the same time?  How about the marketing that goes into proving that someone is a "Tactical expert" and has the perfect program for you to become the hard charger you've always dreamed of?  Or, have you started a program and after a few weeks the progress stopped, the fun was gone...

Send a text Curt and I know a lot about a lot, but steroids are not on the list of deeply researched or understood topics.  But that doesn't stop us from trying!  Get past the first couple of minutes so we can really dazzle you with some answers to listener questions. How can I stay big and broad and still work to improve my cardio and mobility?  Well, depending on what you think is "big...

Send a text We're back from our most challenging and trying camping trip yet! The screeching, yelling, constant instigation, and tantrums were over the top and the kids had some bad behavior too. Katie and I sit down for an honest conversation about some difficulties we have as parents and how we're slowly catching on.  As a firefighter, my daughters high pitched tantrum gives me the sam...

Send a text Diets are a commonplace in the fire department.  Everyone is looking for the best kept secret to eat the things they want but still lose weight like they could in their 20's. In pursuit of it, we sacrifice our health, performance, and social life and just end up fat again in a year. Today we're taking a different look at diets and dieting.  Most importantly the difference bet...

Send a text Katie and I are on the back patio, mini solo stove going and champagne in hand.  We're celebrating some regular stuff and talking about some of it too. Vanderpump, trauma bonding, 24/48 vs 48/96, Post Conference Report, New podcast logos, and her love of criminal minds. If you have a story to tell on the podcast, please fill out this link:  https://www.4thshiftfitness.com/guestfor...

Send a text Molly Jones is back and giving us a preview of a brand new presentation she will be debuting in South Bend during a First Responder Conferences event on May 15th and 16th. After that she humors my questions with professional answers. Molly works for Advanced Recovery Systems and dedicates a bulk of her time to educating and presenting on behalf of ARS and the IAFF Center of Excellence....

Send a text Tim Sears takes us on an incredible journey that started 44 years ago as a volunteer fireman, continued at ground zero of the pandemic, and brought him to the Stronger Families organization in retirement. The road was anything but straight and smooth and Tim is an excellent speaker and storyteller. You can find him on IG, Linkedin, or email him at Tim. Sears@strongerfamilies.org pleas...

Send a text Personal one today as I tell some stories about recent calls that went my way, and one that I'm still working out. VTach with a pulse, a head trauma that needed pacing, and a throwback to a few years ago when I wished I had gone to electrician school. Mindfulness is a practice.  Just like yoga or medicine, you just keep working on it and see what days it clicks, and endure the day...