Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Station Officer Sam Parkhouse AFSM: Breathwork & Fireground Performance
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Station Officer Sam Parkhouse AFSM: Breathwork & Fireground Performance
In this episode, we speak with Station Officer Sam Parkhouse AFSM, a firefighter with nearly two decades of operational experience and a national leader in firefighter wellbeing and recovery. Sam has been instrumental in developing the FRNSW Firefighter Wellness Retreat, a residential somatic-based program designed to help firefighters address the cumulative toll of trauma, organisational stress, and high-consequence operational work.
Drawing from this work, Sam has introduced breathwork as a foundational operational skill, now taught to all FRNSW recruits. This session provides firefighters with practical tools to manage their stress response, improve cognition and decision-making under pressure, and support long-term wellbeing and performance.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode
Breathwork Skills & Instructional Videos
4-7-8 Method https://youtu.be/Egr8iGBg8Oc?si=6Ju7LdK7_vjXM86-
Physiological Sigh https://youtu.be/kSZKIupBUuc?si=H8rhk4UvmvBUYUzR
Box Breathing https://youtu.be/n1lPLTAiB48?si=H-g9GRbaiQ51S0wF https://youtu.be/bF_1ZiFta-E?si=YgDc0lzZ6_AobFrU
Books
The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk A foundational text on trauma, the mind–body connection, and how trauma is stored physiologically.
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art — James Nestor An accessible and evidence-backed exploration of breathwork, respiratory health, and performance.
Apps & Digital Resources
Oxygen Advantage (Patrick McKeown) Free guided exercises for stress reduction, athletic performance, respiratory training and sleep. https://oxygenadvantage.com
Insight Timer A comprehensive library of guided breathwork, mindfulness sessions, and somatic practices. https://insighttimer.com
Short Episode Timings
00:45 – Meet Station Officer Sam Parkhouse AFSM Sam’s background and his nationally recognised work in firefighter wellbeing.
05:00 – The FRNSW Wellness Retreat How somatic practices like breathwork, cold exposure and yoga help firefighters recover from trauma.
12:20 – Trauma, the Body & the Nervous System Understanding emotional numbing, sympathetic activation, and why regulation matters on the fireground.
19:45 – Breathwork for Operational Performance When and how firefighters can use breathwork during en-route stress, at incidents, and for recovery.
24:30 – Three Practical Techniques Physiological sigh, box breathing, and the 4-7-8 method—what they are and when to use them.
42:15 – Embedding Mental Skills in Training Why breathwork must be practiced consistently and delivered by training staff to change culture and performance.
View all episodes
By Sam MonaghanIn this episode, we speak with Station Officer Sam Parkhouse AFSM, a firefighter with nearly two decades of operational experience and a national leader in firefighter wellbeing and recovery. Sam has been instrumental in developing the FRNSW Firefighter Wellness Retreat, a residential somatic-based program designed to help firefighters address the cumulative toll of trauma, organisational stress, and high-consequence operational work.
Drawing from this work, Sam has introduced breathwork as a foundational operational skill, now taught to all FRNSW recruits. This session provides firefighters with practical tools to manage their stress response, improve cognition and decision-making under pressure, and support long-term wellbeing and performance.
Resources Mentioned in the Episode
Breathwork Skills & Instructional Videos
4-7-8 Method https://youtu.be/Egr8iGBg8Oc?si=6Ju7LdK7_vjXM86-
Physiological Sigh https://youtu.be/kSZKIupBUuc?si=H8rhk4UvmvBUYUzR
Box Breathing https://youtu.be/n1lPLTAiB48?si=H-g9GRbaiQ51S0wF https://youtu.be/bF_1ZiFta-E?si=YgDc0lzZ6_AobFrU
Books
The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk A foundational text on trauma, the mind–body connection, and how trauma is stored physiologically.
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art — James Nestor An accessible and evidence-backed exploration of breathwork, respiratory health, and performance.
Apps & Digital Resources
Oxygen Advantage (Patrick McKeown) Free guided exercises for stress reduction, athletic performance, respiratory training and sleep. https://oxygenadvantage.com
Insight Timer A comprehensive library of guided breathwork, mindfulness sessions, and somatic practices. https://insighttimer.com
Short Episode Timings
00:45 – Meet Station Officer Sam Parkhouse AFSM Sam’s background and his nationally recognised work in firefighter wellbeing.
05:00 – The FRNSW Wellness Retreat How somatic practices like breathwork, cold exposure and yoga help firefighters recover from trauma.
12:20 – Trauma, the Body & the Nervous System Understanding emotional numbing, sympathetic activation, and why regulation matters on the fireground.
19:45 – Breathwork for Operational Performance When and how firefighters can use breathwork during en-route stress, at incidents, and for recovery.
24:30 – Three Practical Techniques Physiological sigh, box breathing, and the 4-7-8 method—what they are and when to use them.
42:15 – Embedding Mental Skills in Training Why breathwork must be practiced consistently and delivered by training staff to change culture and performance.