Tailboard Talks Firefighter Podcast

Send a text In this episode, we are returning to Matt's first appearance on the show.  At this time I had reached out through social media and asked for someone who had used exercise as part of their treatment for PTSD. I got nearly two hours, two episodes, a new family of friends, and one incredible story. Matt's story of developing PTSD from being a combat Marine as well as several inc...

Send a text In this episode, one of the original guests on the podcast is back.  Matt Spaid was an early guest of the show and told his story of developing, enduring, treating, and living with PTSD in two of the most popular and incredible episodes in the show's history. He is back and taking over.  Annette Zapp and I have turned over the reigns of Devote December to Matt and he graciously an...

Send a text In this episode, I'm sitting down with my wife, Katie.  She is a mother of two maniacs and big fan of the show.  Well, mostly Kat Pope. But we're covering some ground in this one.  We talk about compassion fatigue, babysitting, several of my other failed jobs as a teenager, PTSD, and how she has found that cutting me completely out of her life is the best way to make it opera...

Send a text In this episode, Curt and I sit down at his house to talk about some bad advice firefighters have gotten, while his dog throws sledgehammers in the background. From lousy advice on stretching, icing injuries, workout frequency and structure, The Rock, Keto, and much more.  We covered some ground in this one and hope at least some of it strikes a chord with you. If you like what you hea...

Send a text This episode looks at how Patrick and I prepared for the promotional process.  Before that, we talked about his chickens, my brother's dinosaur, and some winter accommodations that would be required. Patrick and I were study buddies and some of the top scorers on the assessment center and written exam for the list we were promoted from. If you're thinking of testing, have a l...

Send a text Joe Galli is a 20 year veteran of the fire service with 16 of those years on the executive board and is rounding out his 6th year as Local 439 President.  Joe is making some serious moves in Illinois with the AFFI.  He has recently proposed, developed, and is acting as the chairperson for the AFFI Resiliency Committee.    Joe brings an absolute wealth of knowledge on the labor front as...

Send a text Molly Jones is a licensed social worker and behavioral health professional who works for Advanced Recovery Systems.  ARS is the partner company with the IAFF Center of Excellence.  So, long story short, Molly knows what firefighters are all about, and how to help. She is presenting, Behavioral Health Awareness for Spouses and Relationship Reiliencey, at my department soon and I wanted...

Send a text In this episode, I'm laying the tracks for the show's new format.  What started as a fitness-focused podcast (fitcast) has grown into a firefighter lifestyle forum. Of course, the roots of the show will always be fitness and wellness.  But our profession isn't limited to that topic, so why should the conversations be? Join me for this personal episode and get excited for...

Send a text This week, we're taking the camper out.  So it felt like a fantastic time to bring back on of the best, and most listened to, episodes. Scott Forbes is affectionately known as Dr Creatine and when you listen to the episode, you'll know why. Creatine and firefighters go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Find out why and how you can start taking it in the episode. Thank y...

Send a text Curt and I are sitting on the deck, drinking coffee, and running through your topics.  We're talking about strength vs cardio, search and rescue K9's, playing dictator with policies, training rookies, and more. And I finally give Curt a gift that I've been saving for a month now, and it's gross, and he loves it. Support the show Affiliate links: Rescue1CBD Use code...

Send a text What started out as a conversation about fitness influencers, turned into a discussion on grout scrubbers and coffee chillers. Katie's here, and we're talking. Head to 4thshiftfitness.com and hit the Buy Me A Coffee button and show some love. Support the show Affiliate links: Rescue1CBD Use code TAILBOARD for 15% off Frontline Optics use code TAILBOARD for 15% off Fourth Fron...

Send a text Austin Womack is an Excercise Physiologist from the Austin Fire Department. He is also a former athlete, wildland firefighter, and full of stories. What he and his team are able to do in Austin is something to be envious of, and to keep a lookout for an open position. Check it out and let us know what you think. As always, go to the 4thShiftFitness.com website and support the show by d...

Send a text We're hitting four questions that came from you! 1. When and how do you use stretching during a workout? 2. What are the worst firefighter nutrition fads that we've seen? 3. How do you appeal or convince firefighters to be healthy? 4. BONUS- reaction to a comment that was sent to me after the Sunk Cost Fallacy episode.  Strong opinions ahead. Check it out and let us know what...

Send a text Katharine Pope (Kat) is a last responder. Kat’s experience includes working as a Crime Scene Specialist for the police, a WWII casualty analyst for the Department of Defense, and a Forensic Anthropologist and Death Investigator at DMORT and multiple mid-Atlantic medical examiners’ offices. She now works for a federal agency on the missing and unidentified persons crisis and has volunte...

Send a text Have you ever started a show and halfway through you know that it's not for you and you have no interest in it, but you've already watched half so you can't just turn it off and might as well finish it? Well, that is the living example of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. It is one of the fire service's unadvertised pillars, and today we're talking about it. Also, it&apos...

Send a text But we did adjust some things because of it, so that's good...right? Basically, I didn't make the transition from work to home, a very smooth one and the tension continued. Lack of sleep, inability to manage expectations, and the feeling of being totally cut off from working on some projects I was into—a recipe for a long couple of days in a 21-foot camper. Check out the epis...

Send a text AKA, listen to Chris and Curt bitch about stuff for 20 mins. To its credit, the community at LGN was above average in this arena.  But, people will be people and fingernails will be found on the turf. Check it out and add your peeves. Go to 4thShiftFitness.com and hit the Buy Me A Coffee button to support the show. Support the show Affiliate links: Rescue1CBD Use code TAILBOARD for 15%...

Send a text We're sitting down for a quick chat and talking about Nathan's future career path, a little history, and some upcoming topics with Katie. Support the show Affiliate links: Rescue1CBD Use code TAILBOARD for 15% off Frontline Optics use code TAILBOARD for 15% off Fourth Frontier.com Use code FFTailboard for 25% discount on the X2 strap Athletic Brewing- Code TTFP10 Submit topic...

Send a text The road back from a significant, or even minor injury  can be a long and twisty one. There are a handful of hidden pitfalls that you should know about and that's what we talk about in this episode. We hit on the physical side as well as the mentality of returning after significant injury and share some lessons we've learned while training our peers. If you like what you&apos...

Send a text The IG bio for the 4th Shift Fitness page is "A realistic view of Fire and EMS fitness and wellness" Talking about how kids can derail your fitness groove is about as real as it can be. Three years in and I'm just figuring out how to let myself workout when the kids are awake and not feel guilty about it. It's complicated, but what's you take? Support the show...

Send a text DISCLAIMER: These are general workouts and not programmed specifically for you, your needs, or your limitations.  For personalized workouts, reach out and become a client. Also, these are two workouts, to be done on two seperate days. Ok, now that that is out of the way, lets go hit the floor and have a good time. The bay floor is a great place to get the crew together and lets you do...

Send a text The Uncomfortable Conversations episode spurred a lot of interaction and engagement.  One of the resounding comments was from officers who are uneasy starting the conversation because they feel they are not in a physical condition to tell someone else that they need to be better. In this episode, Curt and I speak from our perspectives as a senior FF and officer respectively to give som...

Send a text Curt and I went a little off the rails on this one.  This is not the episode topic we thought we were sitting down to talk about. Our goal isn't to hurt feelings or offend.  But let's not pretend what we're doing here. This is an uncomfortable topic, and episode.  But it is exactly what someone may need to get the train moving in the right direction.   What do you think?...

Send a text Vans are NOT the athletic shoe of your dreams. In this episode, we run through some of our favorite footwear and how we approach the idea of specific footwear for workouts. There are a lot of ideas in this one, but toe shoes and Vans aren't coming out as the heroes. find the Buy Me A Coffee Button on  4thShiftFitness.com to donate to the show to let us know you like what is going...

Send a text Curt and I are tasked with approving or modifying requests for equipment in our department.  In this episode we run through some of the more notable 'no's" and some that passed the sniff test. Check out our other episodes where we build workouts and go into the nuts and bolts of firefighter fitness. Find the Buy Me A Coffee Button on 4thShiftFitness.com and donate to the...