Forged by FIRE with Ryan Rodriquez

We already know that we can’t fully control whether or not we catch a cold, the flu, or even COVID-19.  We also know that we can’t fully control how our body will react once exposed to a pathogen.

There are all kinds of different factors that determine your body’s response.  Some you can have an impact on, like nutrient deficiencies.  Others, you can’t do anything about, like your age.  But even among all the things you CAN influence, no single “hack” can control the complex system that is our body.

However, when it comes to your overall immune system, your daily actions can have a meaningful impact.  By consistently practicing healthy behaviors, you can:

Reduce your exposure and susceptibility

Help optimize your immune function over time

And better prepare your body to fight off foreign invaders

In today’s episode, I’m going to give you 8 ways to optimize your immunity and protect your health!

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Atomic Habits by James Clear

IGNITEd Shop

During this pandemic, working from home obviously isn’t an option for those of us on the frontline working FIRE and EMS.  That’s what we signed up for!  This means that we’ll be exposed to all kinds of nasty stuff that’s out there and we will have a direct connection to the thing that’s causing the pandemic.  But just because WE may get exposed to all that nasty stuff, doesn’t mean our families should too!

When we return home from a shift, we should be making sure that we are protecting our loved ones from the threats in the field.

I know everyone has their checklists and procedures for how to go about doing decon after a call, but in today’s episode, I’m lining out a checklist that we can keep in mind (or even print out) in order to make sure that we can protect our homes and families from COVID-19.

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EMS After-Shift Checklist

The Doctor Who Championed Hand Washing and Briefly Saved Lives

10:1 Water-to-Bleach Solution

The continual changes and innovation in building materials has us constantly refining our tactical approach when it comes to firefighting.  There are so many different factors that contribute to what we see on the fireground; things like building materials, synthetic furniture, not to mention all the unknowns.  So, we have to be just as adaptable as the fire is.

Fortunately, there is an army of people at Underwriter’s Laboratories that spend a great deal of time doing the research FOR us!  All we have to do is make an effort to read over their findings.

Having all of this scientifically-validated, previously-unrecognized, and potentially life-saving information doesn’t really mean anything unless you can interpret it and apply it.

In the spirit of simplification and making things “firefighter-proof”, in today’s episode, I’m going to attempt to condense what I’ve read and learned into three practical approaches that should cover the bases.

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Top 20 Tactical Considerations From Firefighter Research

UL FSRI Top 20 Tactics Online Course

New Rules: 1. Water flow is good, 2. Air flow is bad

With the way our lives have been disrupted due to COVID-19, we can look around and see the panic in the uncertainty of the people who are making mad dashes to the grocery store and having fights in the aisles in order to stock up on toilet paper.

I feel like a lot of this kind of behavior can be directly attributed to the fact that we live in a society that is constantly telling us to avoid stress.  But why is that?  Isn’t stress the very thing that makes us better at handling any given situation?

Think about it, we exercise to utilize stress and become better at performing on the fireground.  Some of us get flu shots as a way to introduce stress into our bodies so that we can naturally build up our immune system and fight any incoming seasonal threat of illness.  The more we avoid a situation or confrontation whether it’s at work or at home, the more we increase the anxiety of the issue, rather than just dealing with it.

In today’s episode, I will discuss some VERY helpful principles that you can adopt when it comes to tackling any challenge that comes your way and, if consistently practiced, will soon make you the hero in all situations.

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Unstable Unicorns

Putting Feelings Into Words by Matt Leiberman

There are two things that firefighters hate; change, and the way things are...

The world can seem like a daunting and complicated place at times, especially considering the perpetually increasing complexity of our chosen career.  As building materials and textiles change chemical composition, the time of survivability and rate of fire spread rapidly decrease.  If we choose not to adapt to these changes, then we are choosing to be victims of our environments.

The whole plight of this IGNITEd movement is to disrupt that stagnation that we may have found ourselves in, specifically in regards to the fire service.  If you’re listening to this now, then you’ve most likely taken a look around and realized just how content people are with the status quo.  This level of contentment is killing us, literally and figuratively.  The stagnant attitudes kill the legacy of the fire service and the lack of movement kills us off soon after retirement.

It’s up to us to take the reigns and make sure we are driving forward and not just sitting still. By being willing and able to adapt to the circumstances around us, we fight that complacency.  We’ve got to take active steps toward being adaptable and becoming better.  In today’s episode, I will talk about the different types of adaptation and I’ll give you some steps you can take to become more adaptable in your environment.

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As A Man Thinketh by James Allen: Review

Atomic Habits by James Clear: Review

Adapt or Die: Battle-tested Principles for Leaders by Lt Gen Rick Lynch

We are currently facing a society that is gripped in fear due to the COVID-19 or “Corona Virus” pandemic.  We as first-responders don’t have a choice to run and hide because that’s not who we are.  We act in the face of fear.

And yet, we are witnessing people act completely irrationally because of what the news media is telling them.  And in that fear, it seems that they are buying up all of the world’s toilet paper.

In today’s episode, I will talk about why we’re subject to fear, what it does to us, and I will provide some strategies as to how to overcome fear so we can live happy, productive lives that will allow us to be the best firefighter and EMS professionals that we can be!

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Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Having several conversations over the past several weeks, I became aware of something I didn’t realize was so prominent among the people that I work with; hypothyroidism.

This isn’t something that I personally struggle with, but I wanted to learn more about it.  And the more I learned about it, the more I discovered how well-documented it is that there is a direct correlation between shift workers and low thyroid issues; particularly firefighters and nurses.

In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about what hypothyroidism is, how it affects us as firefighters, and I will provide some strategies on how we can combat it and not let it rule our lives.

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National Institute of Health Fact Sheet

As the years go by, complacency sets in.  We get comfortable in our positions and sometimes those positions are of the reclined nature.  As a result, we gain weight in the form of useless fat and the bigger we get, the more unmotivated we become.

Fitness is a crucial part of our profession.  We don’t have a lot of time in our careers when compared to corporate America or most other professions.  We are given the benefit of being able to retire early.  However, if we aren’t healthy enough to live fully during our retirement, or even MAKE it to our retirement, then what’s the point?

In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about how we can introduce strength training into our routine to not only be dynamic in how we exercise and steer clear of becoming a one-trick pony when it comes to fitness, but I will talk about how strength training can help us lose fat.

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Essential Guide to Strength Training

10 Essential Bodyweight Exercises

What’s the Best Form of Cardio for Fat Loss?

How to Gain Muscle Without Losing Fat

Strength Training and Belly Fat

High Reps with Low Weight vs Low Reps with High Weight

As firefighters and EMS professionals, we are constantly doing work on the front end so that when the time comes, we can be at the ready to respond.  Oftentimes we don’t even realize that that’s what we are in fact doing.

When it comes to our professional lives, we are hyper-vigilant in making sure that our equipment is in operating order and ready at all times.  So why is it so challenging for us to do these things when it comes to our personal lives?

In today’s episode, I’m going to talk about what doing work on the front end looks like, why it’s important, and how we can incorporate related principles into our personal lives to work toward a more mentally and emotionally balanced self.

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(I'm so sorry for the drop in volume about halfway in!  I have absolutely NO IDEA what happened!)

You’ve probably heard it said that “those who can no longer do, teach.”  As we get older in our lives and in our careers in the fire service, we lose some ability to do things the way that we used to.

You’ve heard me talk about the “Key 3” back in episode 50 - light the spark, stoke the flame, pass the torch, but do you yourself take action in regards to those things?

Today I’m going to talk about how we can “pass the torch” on those things that we know and are particularly proficient in so we can contribute to our crew, our organizations, and our profession as a whole.

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