Few professions command as much respect as first responders. First responders rush to help when others would flee; they put themselves in harm’s way to save lives; and they work tirelessly to respond to emergencies and prevent them from getting worse. Yet, the very nature of their work puts first responders at higher risk of physical and emotional health issues. Here is a closer look at some of the dangers these workers face, as well as how to minimize the…

5-Alarm Task Force and Insight Training LLC are proud to present a Coronavirus Webinar for First Responders, sponsored by Life Scan Wellness Centers. 

Friday, April 17th at 1:00 PM.EDT. The webinar will be recorded for later viewing if you're unable to join us at 1:00 PM EDT.

Tickets are $10 and all net proceeds will be donated to the NFFF and a vetted Go Fund Me Page for PPE for first responders.

Get your tickets at …

Physical Fitness Standards To Save Lives: Ours And Theirs

            Cardiac events are a leading cause of line of duty deaths among firefighters. The NFPA reports that in 2016 the leading cause of fire scene deaths for firefighters was sudden cardiac arrest at 38% of the total of firefighter fatalities (Firefighter Deaths, n.d.). While the cardiac impact that firefighting has on the heart does include aspects that we cannot…

While some firefighters take fitness-for-duty seriously, they often run into the "hard wall" of those who either don't think it's necessary of afraid of punitive actions if the do participate.

Well-known fire officers and fitness "gurus," Dan Kerrigan and Jim Moss return to "5-Alarm Task Force" with a concise summary of their successful class taught at this year's FDIC 2018: "10 Steps to Cultivate a Culture of Firefighter Fitness in Your Department." This podcast only runs about…

5/17/2018

February 10, 2018 - We released another episode of our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force," this morning with a longtime follower and friend, Chris Tobin. In this episode, Chris talked about the importance of multiple levels of mentoring in the fire service. Even after 8 years with his current department, he still considers himself the "rookie" in the firehouse, always seeking to learn from those with more experience. On the other side of this coin, he has recently re-established h…

Ghosts by Chief Jim Crawford

“Which one of us are you going to tell him about?”  What a powerful question to ask a firefighter.  From the beginning of the fire service firefighters have seen sights that haunt them, and sometimes taunt them, for life.  They are images that we as individual firefighters try to forget, ignore or…

Just over 1-1/2 years ago, I planted a "seed." What did I "plant?" It was my podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force." Although I was only able to serve in the fire service for eight, short years before an injury forced me to leave, I have never let the fire service leave me. Since 1985, I have tried to stay up-to-date with the growth and evolution in firefighting, leadership, funding, education, etc. One way or another, I kept pace.…

If so how do you know? We already know the overall economic impact of work-related injuries and illness are high in the fire service and is ranked as one of the most hazardous occupation. Unfortunately many programs have not been around long enough to provide any evidence. Worse yet, some programs are unable to collect any data due to limited resources.

A few years…

That's right - You'll now be able to access and listen to our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force" from MyFirefighterNation.com. You'll be able to access the latest podcasts while keeping up with some of biggest news in the Fire Service or while chatting with friends.

Just follow directions where you'll see this code. And don't forget, if there's a topic you would like us to address on an upcoming show or if you would like to be a guest, drop us a line to…

The topic of health and wellness in the fire service has been growing over the years. This can be attributed to a number of factors: workers compensation, absenteeism,, injury reduction, and or improved fitness to decrease adverse health risks/events to help our firefighters.. All of these things are positives in helping our greatest resource - the firefighter.…

Coming up in the next few weeks on our podcast, "5-Alarm Task Force: News & Issues for Today's First Responders:"

1. We talk with Jeff Dill from the Firefighters Behavioral Health Alliance to discuss the difficulties some of our brothers and sisters go through on the job; some facing such troubling issues that they take their own lives.

2. We'll be at the Great Florida Fire School it Ft. Myers FL to catch mini-interviews and sound bytes from some of the top fire instructors in…

In our last article we discussed sleep within the fire service and hopefully provided some insight into how the job itself will affect their overall quality of sleep, which will lead to a number of health issues (type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hormonal imbalances, etc…), In this article our goal is to discuss how the poor sleep will affect the brain as well as hormones, and provide some simple strategies that may help improve your well being.

What are hormones? Simply stated, they…

How is your sleep? This is a common question that often comes when discussing a firefighters health and wellness. Over the years it has become clear to me that the real enemy is not heart disease, fire, or the traumatic exposures but rather the poor sleep quality. It is not uncommon to hear from a firefighter “Coach I have changed my eating habits and started to exercise but I can’t lose weight” and in reality if they do have poor sleep they are climbing an uphill battle. So…

Do you want to know how fit fire rescue athletes make nutritious meal choices?  Here are some shortcuts, go-to recipes, cooking suggestions and go-to snacks for making the life of a fire rescue athlete a little healthier.

Eating healthy with a demanding job can be difficult.  Add in the fact that the firehouse is usually full of non-nutritious choices like cakes and baked goods and its no wonder that obesity, diabetes and heart disease are huge concerns in the fire industry.  Yet, as…

Cooking in the firehouse is pretty difficult.  One of the biggest fears of every firehouse chef is not preparing enough food for the crew.  This fear usually leads to an excess of available food and larger portions around the table.  So, today I wanted to give you a quick and easy “trick” you can use to get your crew to take smaller servings.

Answer this question:  Which is the larger black circle – the left or the right?…

If your firehouse (or house) is anything like the one I work in its full of leftover candy and sweets. Now I must admit, I like a good treat now and then but often I have a very difficult time stopping with just one.  Why?  Sugar.  Its everywhere in almost everything and too much of it can cause some serious health issues. Some foods, such as fruits and carrots, naturally contain sugar, but watch out for foods with added sugars, such as baked goods, cereals, crackers, even sauces and many…