Tailboard Talks Firefighter Podcast Chris Marella

150 years of tradition, unimpeded by progress.

Changing a lightbulb in the department can take weeks, how can we change an operational policy or start a new initiative?

Curt and I have been making small changes with big effects in our department and we're talking about how we've seen change happen and what can put a halt to it.

Firefighters hate change and hate the way things are now so you're not going to please everyone, but if your changes seek to positively impact the membership, they're worth the scrutiny.

Thanks and be excellent to each other. (Bill S Preston Esquire, Ted Theodore Logan)
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Thank you for listening and let's all keep working to be more capable and durable both on shift and away from it.

We've all heard the rule of maintaining three points of contact when working on a ladder.  Well, the same goes for your personal wellness.  Sleep, nutrition, fitness, and behavioral health are the points of contact and each one that you don't have contact with increases your chances of falling off the ladder.

In this episode I'm going outside of the box with my suggestions on each topic.  We've all heard specific sleep tips, nutrition guidelines, and how many minutes we should work out per week.

But none of that matters unless we relate it to how we live and work as firefighters and paramedics.  Todays lessons are things that you can use immediately and that actually translate to our lifestyle.

Keep three points of contact and keep moving.  
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Thank you for listening and let's all keep working to be more capable and durable both on shift and away from it.

Serve the public, contribute to the community, progress the department, the fire service is bigger than you, put your people first. But when do you come first?

As your obligations, involvement, and family grow we end up with less and less that is just for us.  We can be busy all day long and still feel like we got nothing done.  But maybe that's because we got nothing done for ourselves.

Todays episode is about finding something that is just for you.  Firefighters are drawn to service at our own expense.  Finding something that you want to do, instead of 'have' to do is vitally important to our mental well being.

I run through some ways to narrow down what might work for you and some guidelines of how to choose something.

For many of us, this is more than just a hobby.  It is a way to avoid burn out and compassion fatigue by giving back to ourselves.  It helps us be more present when we need to be and able to withstand a 30+ year of giving to others.
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Thank you for listening and let's all keep working to be more capable and durable both on shift and away from it.

Firefighters hate two things, the way the things are now and change.  Changing the fire service can be approached the same way you eat a whale, one bite at a time.

Before we get into the details about thinking small for big results, there was a fantastic article on firefighternation.com titled The Aging Firefighter- Health and Fitness Considerations Throughout a Career, written by Alex Redshaw from O2X

I'm hitting some of the bullet points of his article but go read it for the second half, which is his advice on staying strong and healthy through your career

https://www.firefighternation.com/firerescue/the-aging-firefighter-health-and-fitness-considerations-throughout-a-career/

Then we get into some cultural nuances that are specific to the fire service.  Whether they are built from ancient policies, or just something we like (Trucks, leather, and boot zippers)

Adding or changing anything with firefighters can feel impossible but I give you a few ways to look at it that may change or help your mentality when approaching the subject.

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Thank you for listening and let's all keep working to be more capable and durable both on shift and away from it.

This week we spent spring break on the beach for our first camper trip of the year.  Please enjoy this replay of my conversation with Stephanie White.

Stephanie White is a full time firefighter with over 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 experience and integrates contemporary science and research to inform, educate, and improve the fire service.
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Thank you for listening and let's all keep working to be more capable and durable both on shift and away from it.

Have you ever been real busy, but also real engaged and productive?  I have but I've also been stuck with a list of non-stimulating tasks that leave me paralyzed and stuck in neutral.

This episode hits the pop psychology world by storm with the ideas of psychological momentum and a little look at executive dysfunction.  Guess what, the fire service is full of people like us who could benefit from a little more regulation.

Of course I can't just let you know about these things but also give some ideas and methods to get the momentum built, and get some temporary function firing.

Firefighters are all different, but mostly the same so if any of these ideas sound painfully familiar, I'd love to hear about it.  Go to the @4thShiftFirefighter IG and tell me your stories.

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Thank you for listening and let's all keep working to be more capable and durable both on shift and away from it.