Episodes
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On todays’ episode, we start the building process of what it takes to be In-Extremis Ready, starting with the 5 Attributes of the Holistically Functioning Firefighter. We’re kicking off with Strategic Knowledge. We need to know what the expectations are, how units are going to function, and what things units are responsible for. Also, you have to know the rules to break them, to know when to deviate is paramount, and to deviate does not mean to be deviant.
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This week, I had the privilege to sit down with John Graham of Berkley County, West Virginia. We discuss the unique challenges of small professional departments, a LODD and its effects on personnel, the struggles and purpose of the Union, how one department may differ in size from a big city - but the degree to which we all need to operate remains the same, and so much more!
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Hello everyone,
There is an incredible physical, mental, and emotional toll that the fire service is placed under while we are responding to emergency incidents - simply put - human performance. It takes a massive amount of preparedness to ensure we are capable and ready to respond to these incidents. However, we can do everything right on this job, and things can still go bad - the fireground is indifferent to our capabilities. So, I’m excited to announce another arm of Forged and Unbroken Fire, In-Extremis Readiness. In-extremis translates to “ in an extremely difficult situation; at the point of death.” It’s at this point where all of our training, fitness, mental preparation, and experience will culminate and validate what we have done to prepare, or leave us wondering “what if.”
This project will be a wide paint-brush stroke. In bite-sized chunks, we’ll explore the physiological stressors that our minds and bodies are going through, what is required of the fire service profession to overcome these situations, training, tactics, and so much more.
If you would like early access to this content, you can find the link on instagram or search Forged & Unbroken Fire under the Patreon platform. There, you’ll have access to daily workouts, a weekly growth mindset podcast, weekly mobility videos for injury prevention or rehabilitation, the F&U Podcast, the In-Extremis Readiness Podcast, and more. Membership is $6 per month, and at the end of each quarter ⅓ of all profits are donated to a public safety charity or cause and there is a random drawing for a giveback to an F&U member.
Special thanks to the F&U community. Through your support, we have given well over $1,000 to charities, non-profits, causes, and giveback to members. BOLO for the end of June for the next donation - and one lucky F&U member will be getting some personal rescue equipment. Look forward to it, and thank you for joining me on this journey.
@in_extremis_readiness on IG
@forged_and_unbroken_fire on IG
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Chris Tobin of @legacyfirefighting and Jeff Weffelmeyer of @enginehousetraining serve in the second oldest career fire service in the United States, the City of St Louis. In Part 1, Chris and Jeff discuss the cultural firefighting differences in St. Louis, and Chris unpacks a fire he was involved in that showcases the mental stress that firefighters face.
In Part 2, Jeff is kind enough to share his operational experience of the January 2022 Line of Duty Death of FF Benjamin Polson. In the same shift, less than 12 hours apart and in similar conditions, he also explains having to shift mindsets from a LODD to crews pulling multiple people out of a burning home.
I'm honored that these two gents shared some of their experiences with F&U. You'll walk away from these episodes with a greater awareness of the physical and mental struggle we face on the fireground, and a greater passion to work hard and do the right damn thing.
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Chris Tobin of @legacyfirefighting and Jeff Weffelmeyer of @enginehousetraining serve in the second oldest career fire service in the United States, the City of St Louis. In Part 1, Chris and Jeff discuss the cultural firefighting differences in St. Louis, and Chris unpacks a fire he was involved in that showcases the mental stress that firefighters face.
In Part 2, Jeff is kind enough to share his operational experience of the January 2022 Line of Duty Death of FF Benjamin Polson. In the same shift, less than 12 hours apart and in similar conditions, he also explains having to shift mindsets from a LODD to crews pulling multiple people out of a burning home.
I'm honored that these two gents shared some of their experiences with F&U. You'll walk away from these episodes with a greater awareness of the physical and mental struggle we face on the fireground, and a greater passion to work hard and do the right damn thing.
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This week, we have Jess Letoureanu, LCPC, discussing a variety of topics regarding her work with public safety providers. We discuss physical health supporting mental health, red flags, breath work, the physiology behind anxiety and panic, and so much more. Letourneau is a wealth of knowledge, a straight shooter, and pulls no punches.
More of Jessica's work explaining the Polyvagal Theory:
Exploring the Polyvagal Theory in the Fire Service - Demio
Jessica's Bio:
Jessica LeTourneau, LCPC has been working in the mental health field for over 20 years. She has been established in private practice since 2013 and is the CEO of New Perspectives. Prior to private practice, Jessica worked with children, adolescents, and adults in various settings such as inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, residential treatment, Veterans Affairs intensive outpatient programs, in-home behavioral intervention, and outpatient clinics. She is most passionate about treating military veterans, law enforcement, and first responders.
In addition to her tenure in the mental health field, Jessica has an extensive background in health and fitness. She worked as a CrossFit Coach, personal trainer, and group fitness instructor for 15 years. It is her belief that mental and physical health go “hand and hand.” When the mind is healthy, the body follows suit.
Jessica utilizes a direct, strength-based approach when educating clients about trauma, attachment responses, creative coping strategies, and the autonomic nervous system. Her approach incorporates research from attachment theory, neuroscience, internal family systems model, somatic resourcing, Brainspotting, and EMDR therapy.
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Fire Chief Dave LeBlanc, of Harwich, Massachusetts, is a man I've looked up to for over a decade. His writings have steered and mentored the fire service and have stood the test of time. I consider myself so fortunate to be able to reach out to him and pick his brain. Listen in as we discuss cultural differences in New England, leadership principles, performance on the fireground, and the bias to act for the community we serve.
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This week we have Capt. Ronnie Lagana. Capt. Lagana spent over 30 years in the fire service, first as a volunteer in one of the Nation's busiest Department's, and then as a paramedic and officer throughout his time in service. He discusses the fire service in the 1980's, command and leadership, as well as his role as a Safety Officer managing a Mayday and Line of Duty Death in 2018.
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In 1982, Bob Wiseman had 4 years of volunteer firefighting experience, but had only been out in the field for 3 weeks after graduating the academy. He recounts the story of his and his partner's Mayday on the second floor of a townhouse, before we even called it "Mayday." Communications, operations, mindset of go/no-go situations, technology, the burn unit, healing, lessons learned and so much more as we unravel the story that he continues to share to make others better prepared.
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In this episode, we have my dear friend, Jamey Dunlavey. Jamey has spent over two decades as a firefighter paramedic on the bordering outskirts of the Nation's capital. We’ll be discussing some of that, but the core tenant of today’s episode will be spent on grief. Jamey has been kind enough to share some of his life’s story, and through it, we learn what it takes to say, “I need help,” resiliency, mindset, relationships, self-care and growth, retirement, and next stages in life; and we do it through the lens of one of the kindest men I know. Anyone who crosses paths with Jamey knows that he leaves you with a full heart. Thank you, Jamie, much love to you and yours.
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So fortunate to have this gentleman on the podcast. What a scholar. We don't leave any stones unturned. We dive into the struggles we face in the fire service, mental health, resiliency, divinity, and so much more.
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This call changed many lives, especially mine. It had a tremendous impact on so many and continues on today. I had the opportunity to sit with Battalion Chief John Bean, an absolute wealth of knowledge. He was Battalion 2 and command of side Charlie the night of the July 23rd, 2018, LODD of Lt. Nathan Flynn. Listen in as we unpack the call and work together to review it from both sides, that of the interior RIT team and he as exterior command. Caution - there will be tough portions of this podcast discussed and there will be mayday audio. Leadership lessons discussed throughout.
HCDFRS ISRB Report: Internal Safety Review Board Final Report | Howard County (howardcountymd.gov)
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Service, Wellness, Charity
Be a durable, resilient human. Be Forged & Unbroken.
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=89578184
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On this episode, we sit down with one of my longtime friends, Roger Steger. He is a longtime servant and educator in the fire service, spending much of his time in some of the busiest fire companies in the entire Nation. Making his way through the ranks from firefighter to Chief of Kentland Volunteer Fire Department, and in his current role as the senior acting man on Baltimore City's Engine 8, he has quite the resume. We discuss why the small things matter, culture within socio-economically depressed service areas, and so much more.
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Dave "Otter" Olson was one of my mentors in the fire service. His drive is unparalleled, his passion for knowledge is insatiable. He's been through a ton of stuff from his start in the early '90s. Listen in as we discuss his early days and how he has managed rescues, MAYDAYs, training, leadership, family, and resiliency.
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Ever heard of biohacking? No pun intended, it was like drinking through a fire hose with all of the knowledge bombs these two were dropping. I was left with so many more questions, but in all the best ways. Lauren Sombataro and Renee Belz, of the Biohacker Babes, are an absolute wealth of experience, and they have dedicated their lives to optimize the health and wellness for themselves and others. Listen in on ways to optimize your wellness routines; let's move from feeling "just ok" or "good," to amazing. They share tips on how to combat the big three: sleep disruption, cancer risk, and cardiac disease in the fire service.
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https://youtu.be/w-sM-t1KI_Y"Don't Go Gentle Into That Good Night"Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.By Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in 1947. Narrated by Michael Sheen. Many thanks to my dear friend, Matt, who introduced me to this poem.
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As a follow up to a poll from the other week, Andy Hoffman, Ryan King and I discuss what goes into our decision-making when we must decide between choosing to work with a specific group of people, or choosing an assignment, given that you can't have both.
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This week we're fortunate to have Ms. Destiny Morris on the podcast; she's ab absolute wealth of knowledge. She specializes in Marriage Therapy, First Responder Therapy, First Responder Group Therapy, and EMDR Therapy. She walks us through common red flags in public safety, what to look for with ourselves and each other, how to address sensitive topics, hyper vigilance, EMDR, substance abuse, how to build resiliency, and so much more! She also works with a non-profit, The OverWatch Collective; a veteran run non-profit, who's mission is to provide funding for first responder mental health resources.https://www.instagram.com/on_being_resilient/?hl=enhttps://www.theoverwatchcollective.com
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This week we have Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Dr. Jaime Tartar, of Nova Southern University, CEO of the Society of Sports Neuroscience, and O2X Human Performance lecturer. She discusses the role sleep plays in overall health, the issues we face in public safety, and best practices for optimizing sleep hygiene. (From the O2X website)Dr. Tartar also serves as the neuroscience program director and research director for the NSU College of Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from NSU and a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University where she used EEG measure to detect subclinical neurological impairments.She earned her Ph.D. in the Behavioral Neuroscience program at the University of Florida where the focus of her research involved discovering long-term changes that occur in neurobiological pathways involved in stress responses and developing animal models of stress. During graduate school Dr. Tartar also served for 6 years in the U.S. Army Reserves. Dr. Tartar completed Postdoctoral Training at Harvard Medical School where she studied neurological consequences of sleep perturbations using in vitroelectrophysiological recording techniques. She also received training in Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School.In her professional career Dr. Tartar was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from NSU based on her work and contributions to NSU and the scientific community. She was also the NSU Professor of the year at NSU in 2018 and received the NSU Excellence in Teaching Award in 2009. Dr. Tartar has received multiple funding grants through the Department of Education and has received research funding from the Department of Defense.She has published over 55 original research articles and has written several book chapters. Her publications include work with professional MMA fighters and NFL players. She has been an invited speaker for multiple organizations and universities. For example, she was a TEDx Presenter, the keynote speaker for the Miami Dade College Research Symposium, and gave the commencement speech at NSU in 2021.Based on her expertise, she consults for multiple prestigious organizations and served on the scientific advisory board for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and regularly serves as a peer review panelist for NASA. Dr. Tartar is also a scientific advisor for Enchanted Wave, LLC where she oversees their research in using single channel EEG. She is the co-founder and President of The Society for NeuroSports — an academic organization for the field of Sports Neuroscience. Dr. Tartar’s current research is focused on stress, sleep, and athletic performance in humans.https://www.neurosports.net/index.php
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