There has always been one constant in my life. I have always loved Firefighters. My father was a volunteer and as soon as I was eligible I became a volunteer Firefighter and have been for more than 44 years. Why this introduction, because I’m about to make you angry. I have a few issues to discuss; however, the most important is your wellness and fitness. Responding and operating at emergency incidents, training and much of the work around the station requires a person who has good health and is fit.

OK, here’s when I get in trouble . . . look down, look in a mirror, are you overweight, is our health good, when was your last physical, are you really fit and healthy enough to respond to emergencies? Did you know that the primary cause of line of duty deaths (LODD) is our poor health?

I’ve heard all the reasons and excuses for your health issues so don’t even try to peddle that stuff. In fact, I’ve used all those excuses myself over the years because I was overweight and out of shape for most of my career.

When I retired my weight really got out of control and I was headed to an early grave. In 2008 I changed that, in eight months I went from 305 pounds to 215 pounds and improved my overall health in every way, to an amazing degree.

I am very passionate about this because I’ve had enough of unnecessarily losing our members when I now know that there’s a positive life style change we can make that will begin to improve our health and the health of our families. How much happier will you be if poor health is not a part of your life plan? I am absolutely determined to capture YOU (you know who you are), at least one person in every station to lead the way for all the others. Get healthy with your buddies.

Thanks for your patience, send an email if your want to join me in changing the course of the volunteer fire service in America and Canada. You can do it, firefighter by firefighter and station by station.

Thanks, John John@IncidentMT.com